Richard Thompson Ship To Shore 2LP

TAS Rated 4/5 Music, 4/5 Sonics in the September 2024 Issue of The Absolute Sound!

When Richard Thompson began writing songs for his 2024 album, Ship to Shore, the artist was instinctively drawn to his own musical roots, employing them in the service of fashioning a deep and diverse 12-track collection that pulls from various styles, genres and eras, but remains unmistakably Richard Thompson.

There's the rumbling, Motown-style rhythm that propels "Trust," and the straightforward riff-rock of "Turnstile Casanova." The drone-y "The Old Pack Mule," an "old man's song" that takes musical cues from 1600s-era European music, and "Life's a Bloody Show," an ode to "snake-oil salesmen and hucksters" that floats on a glammy, cabaret-like melody that's "almost like a parody of a Noël Coward song, or something from Berlin in the 1920s," Thompson says.

"I liked the idea of having a strong base to work from and reaching out from there," he says. "And I think of my base as being British traditional music, but there's also Scottish music, there's Irish music. There's jazz and country and classical. As far as I'm concerned, once you establish your base you can reach out anywhere. It'll still be you ringing through, wherever you decide to go musically."

Ship to Shore is one of the tightest collections he's made in the past quarter-century, exhibiting a wide tonal palette and a vitality belying his 75 years. Its title and maritime imagery are a little misleading; fans expecting bawdy shanties or a nautical epic in the vein of Fairport Convention's groundbreaking 'A Sailor's Life' will instead find a particularly saucy set of bruised love songs, droll character studies, and ruminations on time's cruel passage... It's stunning how a player so crafty and experienced can still throw himself into the deep and shred with such vigor. That he also remains a top-notch songsmith and vocalist makes him one of the rare triple-threats who consistently delivers.

The songs are packed with sonic punch and raw emotion. His gift for turning a phrase, his wry wit, his ability to speak to the bruised and broken, his riveting vocals, and his unparalleled command of the fretboard are on full display. At 75, Thompson has his hand firmly set on the tiller, still navigating stormy personal seas.

Selections

Side A:

1. The Fear Never Leaves You
2. Singapore Sadie
3. Trust

Side B:

1. The Day That I Give In
2. The Old Pack Mule
3. Turnstile Casanova
4. Lost in the Crowd

Side D:

1. Maybe
2. Life's a Bloody Show
3. What's Left to Lose
4. We Roll

Side D:

Etching