He might have been away for a while, ten years to be exact, but Luther has burst back onto the scene with something that makes it feel like he has never been away. “Hole in My Heart” is one of those gloriously upbeat songs that carries a more wistful, even melancholy, message, the perfect blend of exuberance and sadness, love and loss.
Tapping into his passion for R&B, soul, and jazz-infused pop, this timeless piece encapsulates those classic sounds of the Tamla Motown heyday and perhaps more specifically the genius of Stevie Wonder.
But this is very much the sound of Luther, and the sound of those genres moving forward even whilst he occasionally glances to the past for inspiration. Funky grooves, big vocal harmonies, infectious hooks, not least in the the chorus, and that classic idea of being philosophical about the end of a relationship. “Hole in My Heart” is a song that brilliantly espouses that “don’t be sad because she’s gone, be joyful for her being in your life in the first place,” sentiment.
This is how you stage a sonic comeback, with a song that is already a classic in the making.
Welcome back, sir.
