In Glide’s review of Richard Thompson’s 2018 13 Rivers, we closed by saying “…nothing else labeled ‘folk rock’ sounds like Richard Thompson. Like Hendrix, he’s his own genre, one the major virtuosos of our time.” With certainly nothing to prove, Thompson sallies forth six years later with Ship to Shore, reinforcing that point of view through its twelve songs, which, in Thompson’s own words, traverse traditional British, Scottish, and Irish music as well as jazz, country, and classical. You’d be very hard-pressed to find another artist of his ilk. Ship to Shore is Thompson’s twentieth solo album, notwithstanding his groundbreaking work with Fairport Convention and then partner Linda Thompson. He consistently delivers, working with his longtime band here – guitarist Bobby Eichorn, bassist Taras Prodaniuk, and drummer Michael Jerome. Joining this core group are harmony vocalist Zara Phillips, fiddler David Mansfield, and engineer Chris Bittner for this album recorded in Woodstock, NY.
Thompson stamped his style years ago as more of the most skilled guitarists (few have his left-hand dexterity) on both acoustic and electric and as a leading purveyor of ‘dark’ songs. Nonetheless, no two guitar solos are alike, and his story songs are often imbued with a dry, sarcastic wit and literary quality akin to that of the best novelists. His intricate pathways would be difficult for most musicians to navigate but his core band knows how his songs develop. They have played with him on the road for years, too. Recognizable touches are sprinkled throughout, beginning with the reel-like riffs that usher in the opener, “Freeze,” a song about procrastination, a lack of courage, and filled with what ifs,” culminating in a classic closing verse – “Where are the arms of that priest/How can you tell you’re living/If you never arm-wrestle the beast?” “The Fear Never Leaves You” plies similar lyrical turf in trademark stomping fashion, that’s been part and parcel of his style since 1974’s I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight landmark with Linda Thompson.
Album highlight and single, the infectious “Singapore Sadie” delivers quieter fare in a tune he and his band have been playing live frequently, featuring Mansfield on fiddle and the mystical kind of lyrics we might associate with Dylan’s mid-sixties output. Michael Jerome’s Latin-like rhythms power “The Day That I Give In” as Thompson sings in his most forlorn way about unrequited love, one of his favorite subjects. The traditional British folk we associate with drunken sailors and smoky pubs imbues the gruesome, at times, “The Old Pack Mule,” in which Thompson rips off searing guitar licks. The tempo ratchets up on the jangling “Turnstile Casanova” as he paints the portrait of a bleak, desperate tabloid character who is all the rage one minute, only to disappear the next. Fleeting love or, better said, instant obsession, is the subject of “Lost in the Crowd,” practically a cinematic vignette, culminating in “The night was like a shroud/She was Lost In The Crowd.” Thompson’s sizzling guitar burns white hot in the pulsating “Maybe,” yet another one about an elusive love, rife with clever wordplay – “Eyes like diamonds, teeth like pearls/A jeweler’s dream, a gem of a girl.”
At times, Thompson tends to drag as in the dirge “Life’s a Bloody Show,” but an examination of the lyrics and his customary bent for political commentary indicates he may be writing about #45– “Just pretend your sneaky lies/Your nasty little alibis/Somehow all add up to be the truth.” Yet, he renders the album’s strongest cut in terms of melodic hooks, guitar riffs, and utterly despondent vocal in “What’s to Lose,” about a desperate, confused character who has run out of options. This is the ELECTRIC Thompson that fans adore. In a bit of symmetry, he invokes folk strains through the lament of the violin and folksy picking in the closer “We Roll,” one of the few songs that offers bright moments.
For many, Thompson is an acquired taste. There’s little, if any, middle ground. So, while this may not attract new fans, it will more than satisfy the legions of those who stay attuned to his every move. It’s as solid as any of his recordings.
