Cara Luft - Darlingford

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Cara Luft – Darlingford
2012, Fontana North/Blue Case TunesCara Luftbegan performing at the age of four, singing and accompanying herself ondulcimer.  By the age of eleven theCalgary native teaching herself guitar, learning alternate tunings and variouspicking techniques.  Luft soon addedbanjo to her repertoire, giving her a solid arsenal of instruments to back upher strong and distinctive alto voice. A founding member of The Wailin’Jennies, Luft has also cut an impressive swath as a solo artist.  Luft came to our attention here at Wildy’sWorld with her 2007 album, The LightFantastic, a 4 ½ star gem that still ranks as a personal favorite.  Luft returned in 2012 with her third soloalbum, a splendiferous mix of folk, Celtic, country and even shades of popmusic that is ever so much more than anything she’s done before.

Darlingford begins with a look at salvation in the form of "Only Love CanSave Me", a splendid mix of country and folk sounds that wrap aroundLuft's singular voice like a blanket. The song is uplifting and joyful, yetfull of a stylistic and compositional complexity that is musically satisfying."Bye Bye Love" is an emotionally and musically mature post-mortem ona relationship lost. Absent the vitriol common in pop/country kiss off songs,Luft makes a much more damning case for moving on by speaking straight from theheart. This is a beautiful examination of love's detritus, complete withgorgeous vocal harmonies that appear from nowhere to accent some of her morepoignant discoveries.  Luft's cover of Mike Scott's is powerful to say the least. The melancholy hopeof the song grows into a powerful determination that will have you on the edgeof your seat. Delving back into the healing process, Luft delivers the powerfulslow epiphany of "House On Fire". This testament to the permanence ofloss and the healing power of friendship is unforgettable, feeling bothdecidedly intimate and universal at the same time.

"The Ploughboy And The Cockney" is an interesting diversion that ismore than it first appears. The musical performance here is top notch, ofcourse, but Luft proves her talent as a story teller with a light yet knowingvocal touch. Listeners can decide whether there is more to the story in lightof the full cycle of songs presented here. "Idaho" is an exploration of newbeginnings, new faith and new perspectives. The joyous feel of the song has analmost Paul Simon sound but with definite country flair. Luft is able to rockout a bit here in the midst of a recovery she never foresaw.

Genocide and social responsibility whirl around the story of a man whoseheroics are sometimes deemed a failure. "Dallaire" explores theperspective of Lt. General Romeo Dallaire, who oversaw international forces inRwanda in 1993 and 1994, at the height of the genocide campaign of Hutuextremists. This is a touching and poignant look at how we struggle to do theright thing, often failing even as we succeed. Luft returns to her personalmilieu with "Off My Mind". Here we hear some of the anger one mightexpect post breakup, but the quiet reserve of class that Luft clarifies it allwith is refreshing. It doesn't dull the lyrical daggers she throws, but it doesmake them harder to deflect.

"Portland Town" explores the ravages of war from the perspective of amother who sees her three sons go off to battle, never to return. The darkCeltic style arrangement gives the song a quiet urgency that matches perfectlyto the subject matter, and Luft's voice is fully in the moment with an urgentgrace. Luft moves on to reverse prepositions and propositions with her emotiveand stunning take on "He Moved Through The Fair". Her voice conveys astory of love with an elemental power that is breathtaking.

Luft takes a somewhat lighter tone on "My Darling One", anincantation to a beloved child or perhaps even to a prospective love. Thebouncy feel of this tune marks an emotional turning point, as the scars of lossbegin to fall away. That inertia grows on "It's Gonna Be Alright", asfaith turns to confidence and ambition to make tomorrow a better day.Darlingford closes out with "Charged!” - a bonus track born of a real lifeborder bust. The song is a fun and entertaining reminder of how quickly thingscan go awry in the hands of Federal power, and how we rely on the humanity ofone another to straighten out the simple-minded grind of political machines.It might seema cliché phrase, but Cara Luft weaves magic through every nook and cranny of Darlingford.  In the process she turns a bit of personaltragedy into songwriting gold, exploring themes of love, loss, faith, recoveryand choosing a new direction with lyrical aplomb and a near-perfect understandingof musical setting, mood and composition. Luft’s ability to tell a story through song has never been more in focus thanit is on Darlingford, and it wouldn’tbe hard to imagine Luft collecting her second Juno Award based on thiseffort.  Darlingford is easily one of the finest collections to cross thisdesk in 2012, and can be nothing less than a Wildy’s World Certified DesertIsland Disc. 

Rating:           5 Stars(Out of 5)Learn more atwww.caraluft.com.