Luke Slott’s music has been growing on me in the last few months. When I first heard it a year or two ago, it seemed nice but very simple, sort of like practice exercises. But as I look at what he’s done recently, I think that simplicity is deceptive– it’s very subtle and very much a devotional. He’s creating a new album for the upcoming centenary called Home of Light, and he’s posting the songs on YouTube as they’re done.
The first song, “Tablet of the Land of Bá”, takes its text from this Tablet by Bahá’u’lláh to His Son, who had gone on a visit to Beirut. To me it’s the expression of very human feelings. The photos of Akka (Acre, Israel) and the prison from that time are very touching too.
The second song, “Whatever we are (Still are we Thine)” is especially touching to me right now. It reminds me in its simple directness of the “Another world” video I mentioned some months ago.
He’s also doing a series of “Vignettes” sharing his thoughts about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the process, and giving us Tucsonans a nice view of Dublin greenery in the background (minus the likely humidity). They also contain advertisements for his work, but nicer than the average ads.
Another song I keep coming back to, not so simple, is a setting of The Tablet of Ahmad.
(his homepage is www.lukeslott.com)
[updated 5/23/22]