Staff Reviews

Richard Thompson - Still

Review by Aaron Lavery

A collection of fine Thompson songs»

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'Still' was recorded in a two-story rehearsal loft in Chicago over the course of just nine days with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy at the helm, backed by several longtime players from both Thompson's and Tweedy's bands. Thompson enlisted Tweedy's production skills in an effort to shake up his own creative approach to making records. The key to 'Still''s emotional resonance is a set of gripping new Thompson compositions rich with his signature mix of trenchant insight, gallows humour, and keen empathy for characters at the brink of being overcome by their emotions, their pasts, or themselves. A recipient of BBC's Lifetime Achievement Award and Mojo's Les Paul Award, Richard Thompson was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2011 New Year Honours List. The Americana Music Association also recently honoured him with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting. Robert Plant, REM, Elvis Costello, Bonnie Raitt and many others have recorded Thompson's songs. Taken as a whole, 'Still' is a powerful dispatch from an acknowledged master who remains unafraid to put himself into demanding new environments - its title reflecting that resilience and seemingly endless resourcefulness.
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