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The younger brother of influential Irish singer/songwriter Christy Moore, Barry Moore had tired of being in his brother's shadow when he decided to relocate to the United States in 1987. Re-christening himself Luka Bloom during the long airplane ride, he took the first steps toward establishing his own reputation. A master interpreter, Bloom has continued to balance original songs with reinventions of tunes by a diverse range of songwriters. His reworking of LL Cool J's "I Need Love" transformed the song from its hip-hop origins to a brogue-inflected folk tune. His 2000 album Keeper of the Flame featured covers of tunes by Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Bob Marley, Nina Simone, U2, ABBA, Radiohead, and Tim Hardin. Launching his career in the 1970s, Bloom was encouraged by his brother, who hired him to play with his groups Planxty and Moving Hearts. Although he recorded three impressive solo albums in the 1970s and '80s, he was unable to the match his brother's success. Moving to the Unite...