Richard Thompson

A stirring singer, an emotionally involving songwriter, a virtuoso guitarist—Richard Thompson earns his superlatives every time he steps onstage. In the studio, however, Thompson tends to be less sure-footed, never fully recreating the mesmerizing intensity he so easily commands in concert. Thompson’s latest studio album, 2007’s Sweet Warrior, is vital, but 2010’s Dream Attic presents him in an ideal setting, capturing 13 new originals culled from a run of live shows at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall. Tellingly, it’s stronger on musicianship than songs, but Thompson and his four-piece band sound so good playing that it hardly matters. Thompson recently released a career-spanning three-disc live album, Live At The BBC, which captured performances—solo and with then-wife Linda—of songs never before recorded (legally, at least), as well as the Fairport Convention favorite “Meet Me On The Ledge.”

Updated 02/01/2012