Richard Thompson
Album: Still
Label: Proper
Tracks: 12
Website: http://www.richardthompson-music.com

Another year, another new album – and another clutch of solid new self-penned songs from the songwriter who never disappoints. OK, you know pretty much what to expect, but each successive collection still (there’s today’s buzz-word!) delivers up fresh lyrics and melodies that could only have come from RT, bearing the man’s inimitable stamp, his utterly unmistakable vocal and instrumental signatures. Still can be regarded as an intentional sequel to Electric, in that it returns to that trusty back-to-basics core trio lineup (RT himself with bassist Taras Prodaniuk and drummer Michael Jerome); the difference this time round is that the set was astutely produced by Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy (a long-term admirer of RT who has dubbed him The Ultimate Triple Threat – favourite guitarist, songwriter and singer!). Jeff contributes a smidgen of imaginative keyboard here and there, and also enlists the occasional help of harmony vocalist Siobhan Kennedy and three colleagues from his own band Tweedy (guitarist Jim Elkington and singers Liam and Sima Cunningham). An initial surprise for the listener will be that the album is generally neither as rocky nor as up-tempo as the idea of an all-electric set might imply – much of the lead guitar work is gentle, caressing, tender even, albeit still suitably prominent and upfront within the balance and overall sound-picture, and RT never compromises or sacrifices articulate and stylish invention for showmanship. His unerring musicianship is, of course, enviably effortless and consistently brilliant – exactly as can be expected from an artist still (there’s that word again!) at the top of his game.

Arguably, the songs themselves may not contain any that on first hearing scream “classic”, but equally there are none that I wish I hadn’t heard, and some of them may only more gradually reveal a more subliminally haunting quality. Having said that, the opening two songs (She Never Could Resist A Winding Road and Beatnik Walking) will almost certainly bring a strong sense of recognition on only second hearing, then becoming almost old friends (as it were) on third playthrough. The brooding, folky portrait of Josephine is another swift grower, with Dungeons For Eyes, Where’s Your Heart? and Broken Doll possibly not far behind in the memorability stakes. Themes encompass the familiar RT preoccupations, with bitterness, irony and caustic commentary well to the forefront as is customary.

The final track, Guitar Heroes, pays direct (and humble) homage to those giants who inspired RT himself, its loosely autobiographical lyric thread connecting instrumental passages that unashamedly (cheekily) reproduce and emulate (among others) Django Reinhardt, Les Paul, Chuck Berry and Hank Marvin; in almost any other musician’s hands, this would come across like a cheap gimmick, but RT stays just the right side of the bordering-on-cheesy fence and to finish he tops them all with a supremely classy solo of his own devising. Although this track takes up seven-and-a-half minutes of playing-time, it’s indicative that even its allowable excesses don’t outstay their welcome. This feature is characteristic of the seemingly deliberately almost-reined-in economy of expression that pervades the disc as a whole, whereby the solos are kept short and to a point, even in the context of the wildness that occasionally promises a catch-fire workout (which will surely be delivered in the live gig scenario). Scottish dance forms surface in the skirling tattoo of Pony In The Stable and the reeling riff that introduces No Peace No End, while the majestic solos on opener She Could Never Resist A Winding Road have the authentic air of pibroch.

On reflection, one or two songs seem to hark back to earlier moments in RT’s canon – All Buttoned Up kinda recalls Back Street Slide, for instance – but this is probably more of a familiarity of idiom than a conscious self-referencing device. Long John Silver (a genial rant against the pirates of the music industry) may lack substance lyric-wise, but (like All Buttoned Up) may well make up for that with its sturdy and typically inventive playout solo.

Still is a well-appointed and well-up-to-standard new entry to the RT canon. In physical (non-digital) format the album comes in three competing configurations: standard CD, audiophile double-album-vinyl and a "deluxe" CD edition which supplements the standard CD with a five-track EP taken from a previously-unreleased session. Produced by RT himself, these cuts are prime Thompson, performed by the trio lineup with Teddy T guesting on occasional backing vocals. Compared to the main Still menu, the majority of the EP's tracks are more out-and-out rocky, with a strong live feel, each number spiced with an excellent signature guitar solo or two tossed almost casually off the proverbial cuff. Fork In The Road is catchy earworm pop-rock of the Wall Of Death variety; Wounding Myself is another of those powerhouse knowing breakdown-of-relationship songs; the sour ballad of The May Queen spits out the vitriol of experience for the medieval troubadour of old Thames-side; and Don't Take It Lying Down sets its melodic defiant stand to a heavy brooding riff. By contrast, the portrait of Fergus Laing has a more sprightly air, a lighter spring in its step, taking the form of a jaunty mando-bedecked folk-rock outing. The deluxe package contains lyrics for these songs too, but these turn out to be incomplete - a curious and uncharacteristic omission (and neither are they available on the Song-o-Matic on Richard's website as yet). Needless to say, however, the deluxe edition is well worth the extra outlay - certainly the one to have.

David Kidman