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Editorial Review:
Son of English folk-rock veterans Richard and Linda Thompson, Teddy Thompson has been blessed with a similar musical talent to his famous parents, yet his three albums to date have failed to break through into the mainstream. A Piece of What You Need however--his fourth album--has been helmed by Marius de Vries (Bjork, Madonna, Rufus Wainwright) and appears to have ‘commercial success’ written all over it. De Vries has given Thompson’s music a newfound confidence. The tunes here are upbeat and strutting, with cerebral lyrics that merge the heavier side of life--suicide, alcoholism, drugs--with wry looks at love and happiness. As on previous albums, Thompson mellifluously mixes together folk, pop, country and rock, with De Vries adding extra production flourishes that give the album a thoroughly contemporary edge. Sensibly, it was decided to leave Thompson’s silky vocals fully centre-stage, since it’s his voice more than anything else that draws the listener in and keeps him there. The trio of opening tracks--the introspective “The Things I Do,” the humorous “What’s This?” and recent single “In My Arms”--get the album off to a captivating start, and Thompson ensures standards don’t slip, following up with the Springsteen-esque rocker “Don’t Know What I Was Thinking” and the catchy country shuffle “Can’t Sing Straight”. Ballads like “Where To Go From Here” and “Slippery Slope” show the singer’s ability to be touching without turning up the kitsch, while “Turning The Gun On Myself” really is as gloomy as it sounds. Full of skilfully executed, well-crafted modern pop, this is arguably Thompson's best work to date. --Danny McKenna
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
best so far- maybe mainstream soon but hopefully not This has managed to take TT's melancholic style and lyrics and wrap them up in a more layered and upbeat musical style. Definitely his best album so far! Seen him in concert and hopefully this will mean bigger venues and maybe he can lighten up a bit. Yes Teddy you are good so don't be so serious.
Wonderful stuff This is a wonderful album, and one of my favourites of the year. I was vaguely aware of Teddy through the Brokeback Mountain soundtrack, and have enjoyed some of his mum and dad's work, the legendary folkies Richard and Linda Thompson. But when I heard 'In My Arms' on Jonathan Ross's R2 show, I was sold. And went out and bought everything of his I could find. Americana with an alt feel, beautiful love songs with wry, slightly subversive lyrics are his stock in trade but this album brings a new pop... more info
Album of the Year contender I was put off this excellent example of songwriting by magazine reviewers love of altfolk and the folk gerontocracy (Waterson/Carthy/Thompson) but after I heard clips I havent stopped playing it. Its on the car CD, the PC and my ipod. Original twists on love ("In my arms" is just one example) life and the meaning of....whatever; no, seriously, its not that Thompson is a navelgazer anymore than Julian Dawson, Jackson Browne (with whom this album very favourably compares) or Teddy's daddy Richard, but he does... more info
Nothing Special Oh dear. Another bland album from a son-of-someone-famous. If Teddy Thompson was called Bert Morris and came from Glossop, he wouldn't have been given the time of day. Yet another offspring given a foot up when perhaps they don't deserve it. Sadly, Bert Morris from Glossop may be a true original, but Teddy Thompson, son of the the Bert Morris and Bertina Morris of the 1960s, isn't. Leave this one in TESCO where it belongs.
