**DELUXE 2CD VERSION: Includes bonus disc with 7 bonus tracks**
Guitar and folk music legend Richard Thompson has a brand new studio album, Electric, produced by Buddy Miller. Thompson, named one of Rolling Stone Magazine s 20 Greatest Guitarists, brings a record full of gifted songwriting and virtuosic guitar playing. Electric was made at Buddy Miller s home studio in Nashville, TN. The record features Alison Krauss on the song “The Snow Leopard.”
$ 16.55
Another Small Thing In His Favor,
If the ambitious Dream Attic was a bit over the top and unwieldy for some, Thompson’s latest is more back to basics. Title says it all, and it’s been a while since Thompson’s done an album with so many upbeat rockers. Well, “up-bleak” might be more apropos if you take the lyrics into consideration.
Thompson’s guitar playing is in stellar form and his fingers never wander, stray or distract from the songs. And what a healthy batch they are.
Kicking off with the violent and lustful Stony Ground, Salford Sunday is a surprising follow up. The catchiest bed sit moper I’ve heard in ages; as toe tapping as it’s tortured. Another major standout is Good Things Happen to Bad people which raises the roof while giving Iago a run for his jealousy. Another highlight is the absolutely gut-wrenching Another Small Thing In Her Favor. Further proof Thompson is up there with Dylan, Waits, and Van Morrison in the songwriting department.
I’m willing to bet not every track will knock it out of the ball park for even the most devout. I’d be surprised to hear any calls for Treadmill or Where’s Home during a live show. But brooding, slow burners like My Enemy and the eerily yearning Snow Goose are guaranteed to keep you coming back for more. Powerful stuff. Speaking of which, Saving The Good Stuff For You ends Electric on a darkly wry but bleakly heartbreaking note. In other words, vintage Thompson.
As for the bonus disc, while well aware of the marketing ploy here, go for the “deluxe” version here. As you might expect, it’s a mix of filler and killer (pun intended). I Found A Stray, Tic-Tac Man and Auldie Riggs are indispensable and would have taken the original album from memorably good to great.
While I admit to being a seasoned devotee who has found something of value in nearly every Thompson album, no matter how imperfect, I’m by no means a blind, genuflecting fan. After repeated listens, I have the sneaking suspicion longtime subscribers will come back to this one, ranking it up there with Rumor & Sigh.
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|Thompson returns with a truly electrifying performance on his latest release (review for 2 CD version),
Richard Thompson continues his roll and issues another strong album. “Electric” describes the “mood” of the album–charged with energy–although there is plenty of both electric and acoustic guitar on the album.
As with his previous string of albums “Electric” features top notch songwriting and the recording environment of country/Americana musician Buddy Miller’s home studio adds an intimate quality to even the most “electric” of the songs. Miller’s spare production compliments the instrumentation and songs.
There are two versrions of this album–the double disc edition of the album is well worth picking up featuring seven additional tracks.
1 Will You Dance, Charlie Boy 5:01
2 I Found a Stray 5:04
3 The Rival 3:44
4 The Tic-Tac Man 3:47
5 Auldie Riggs
feat. Idyllwild Arts Academy Orchestra 3:20
6 Auldie Riggs Dance
feat. Idyllwild Arts Academy Orchestra 1:21
7 So Ben Mi Ch’a Bon Tempo 2:50
The last three tracks are from two of Thompson’s lesser known albums “Cabaret of Souls” (available from Thompson’s website and on his own label Beeswing)and 1000 Years Of Popular Music and are nice ways to fill out the disc (although I probably would have preferred some demos for the album myself).
My only issue is that I do wish that the mastering was a bit better for this set on CD. I haven’t heard the vinyl so can’t compare how the mastering is for that set but it is a bit louder than I usually like it.
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