Lustre

Ed Harcourt releases his fifth full studio album Lustre on Nice Music Group/Piano Wolf Recordings. His first album in four years, it's a dazzling statement of intent and rejuvenation from a singer/songwriter/musician who hasn't always received the acclaim his gifts deserve. Now a proud father and a much-in-demand writer/producer, he's delivered a set of songs about birth, love, light and darkness which glistens with genius. The album was recorded at Bear Creek Studio, just north of Seattle, with co producer Ryan Hadlock (Blonde Redhead, The Gossip) and mastered by Gavin Lurssen (O Brother, Where Art Thou?). "If my last album was weighed down, this one is a buoy," remarks Ed. "It floats. It's about that gleaming quality - the vitality, the passion - that drives you to keep going and not give up. It poured out of me. I've always been ready, but now it's like nothing I've ever felt." From the opening euphoria of "Lustre" to the lupine howl of "Heart of a Wolf," from the sunny yet subversive Beach Boys pop of "Do As I Say Not As I Do" to the beautiful truths of "Fears of a Father," this feels like the finest Ed Harcourt album yet.