Lustre

iTunes Review

Ed Harcourt is one of those gentle, literate British singer-songwriters who could easily be overlooked since his craft is subtle. He comes off calmly normal like an everyman, but beyond that normalcy is a well-attuned melodic sense that crafts a wonderful romanticism with the keyboard-dance groove of “Do As I Say Not As I Do” or with the somber piano strains of “Killed By the Morning Sun” where he turns in a ballad that is never quite as dire as its title implies. In fact, there is a stubborn resolve in these tracks. He doesn’t accept the usual downcast misery one expects from the solitary singer-songwriter. The extra punch of “A Secret Society” breaks past the mystery of its “secret” and “When the Lost Don’t Want to Be Found” is the sound of a man turning on the lights and daring the subterraneans to face the light. Well, that’s what happens when someone like Harcourt meets his wife and the lonely loser finds peace and a home. The title track and “Haywired” make pretty clear that Harcourt’s had his world turned upside down. Here’s his chance to do so for his listening audience.