If life is fair, Richard Thompson's new album Rumor and Sigh will (finally) make him a commercial success.
Thompson, who has been putting out some of the most intelligent folk rock of the past 20 or so years, has always been a critical favorite -- his 1982 album Shoot Out The Lights was in the top 10 list of Rolling Stone's top 100 albums of all time.
The record-buying public, however, has mostly ignored him. But Thompson should finally win over the masses (MTV willing) with Rumor and Sigh.
The album is a brilliant collection of 14 diverse songs that all have one thing in common: Thompson's dark sense of reality.
The songs range from the slow folk of "God Loves a Drunk" ("God loves a drunk, although/he's a fool/ he wets in his pants and he falls/ off his stool") to the rocking "Read About Love" ("So why-don't you moan and sigh?/Why-do you sit there and cry?/ I do everything I'm supposed to do/If something's wrong, then it must be you/ I know the ways of a woman/ I've read about love").
But whatever he's singing, Thompson's words and smooth voice create disturbingly clear pictures.
"Grey Walls," is about loving a psychotic woman and having to let her receive to shock therapy. "Mother Knows Best," takes an ironic look at why mother may not. And the first single, "I Feel So Good," is a bouncy song about love and misunderstanding: "I feel so good I'm going to break somebody's heart tonight."
None of the songs cover easy subjects and it is a testament to Thompson's skill as a lyricist that he doesn't get bogged down by the desperation of his ideas.
Accentuating Thompson's bitter, biting lyrics is his bluesy guitar. His guitar work gives each song its soul and transforms the words into something more visceral.
Thompson has been compared to Eric Clapton, and while that may be a small stretch, it cannot be denied that he wields his guitar with great power.
If you like bands that think long hair is a talent requirement, this may not be your cup of tea. But if you like music with substance, vitality and wit, mosey on down to your favorite music sellin' establishment and pick up Richard Thompson's Rumor and Sigh you won't be disappointed. Trust me.
