Luci is a concept album, but that’s not so obvious upon first listen, since songs like the electric guitar-fueled rocker “A Mad World,” the Latin pop of “Trouble” and the appropriately languorous “Lazy River" don’t seem to be parts of an ongoing story. Dajani does, however, captivate with his gentle vocals and often gentler acoustic guitar playing, especially when he switches to Spanish guitar for “All Mine” and the lengthy instrumental title track, “Luci,” featuring his most impressive playing. But since “Luci” is lyric-less, what is the song and the album that’s named after it all about? Unless you are psychic or just otherwise very intuitive, you’ll have to read the liner notes to find out that “Luci” is not about a woman; it’s about Lu-ci-fer! With that nugget of information in hand, you can go back and listen to Luci again and pick up on subtleties that indeed do tie individual songs together, portraying everyday good and bad times as a prelude to the ultimate showdown with evil. The underlying theme is of secondary or little concern here, though; Dajani’s voice and superlative playing give you plenty of other things to listen for.

Grade: A