A Piece of What You Need

Teddy Thompson

Review by Bill Ashford

It's hard to understand how a man who carries credentials like Thompson's could be having such a hard time breaking through to wider acceptance. Born in London, the son of Iconoclast singer/songwriter/player Richard Thompson and his equally talented wife, Linda Thompson, one would think the world would be ready to embrace Teddy Thompson's music, but in fairness, it is taking a while.

A Piece of What You Need is Thompson's third release on Verve/Forecast. The first two were self-produced and as different as day and night. The first, Separate Ways, was a collection of self-penned songs played and sung well with a sympathetic backup ensemble. On first listening, I confess that I didn't get it, but stumbling over it again a couple of weeks later, I found that it just knocked me out, particularly the title cut and "Altered States." Polydor did a fair job of promoting it, but I played it on my stream not because they said it was good, but because I knew it was. The album was filled with haunting songs, which are becoming something of a trademark for Thompson, produced meticulously by himself.

Where does all this talent come from? Well, he played on a couple of his dad, Richard's albums, and worked in his touring band. Before long he did the same with his mom, Linda Thompson, producing her comeback album, Fashionably Late. Later, he would land a place in Roseanne Cash's touring band. This was all pretty quick progress for a guy who had self-produced his first album in London not that long ago.

Then came the second Verve/Forecast release, Up Close and Down Low, a free-wheeling cover album full of country classics. A number of younger of artists, such a Soloman Burke, were undertaking similar projects. Some were more successful than others. Thompson's was excellent, but who was going to buy it? As good as it was, he was shunned by the American music establishment when it came time to hand out awards.

But Thompson doesn't believe in wasting time, so in a relatively short period of time, he began work on his next release, this time hiring well-known producer Marius de Vries, known for his work with Bjork, David Gray and Rufus Wainwright, among others. This gave Thompson another set of ears to help translate what he was hearing in his head, and it has worked out tremendously. This is a full album with production that takes one's breath away and begs to be started over again when it ends.

Sharing his father's sense of dark humor, the younger Thompson's often inspire the listener to tap along with what seems to be an upbeat song, but pay closer attention to the lyrics, you soon discover the song is anything but happy. Making that case perfectly is "Turning The Gun On Myself," which starts out as a celebration of the Big Apple and turns into something quite different.

Thompson plays acoustic and electric guitars and sings, of course. He is accompanied in the studio by Jack Petruzzeli, electric guitar; Jeff Hill, bass; Matt Johnson, drums; and producer Marius de Vries, piano, synth and percussion.

This is a special album and I recommend you start with this one and work your way back through his other two releases. Sooner or later, Teddy Thompson is bound to catch on.

VERVE/FORECAST RECORDS
CollectorsChoiceMusic.com (album link) or 1-800-923-1122