Customer Reviews

Teddy Thompson

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

He may be the son of music luminaries Richard and Linda Thompson, but any musical comparison to Teddy would be pointless. This sibling needs no high profile pedigree to reach the level of appreciation he so justly deserves.

He sounds far more like the offspring of Jackson Browne and Lucy Kaplansky in voice and songwriting style than his own parents, however I think Teddy will outshine all of the above by the time he reaches his personal peak. Judging by this teriffic debut, that should be very soon.

There have been comparisons between Teddy and Richard Thompson's voices, but I just can't hear ANY similarity whatsoever. As much as I've always loved the elder Thompson, I thought his singing voice to be more of a misfortune than a blessing. Not so with Teddy! His voice is pure, sweet and more often than not, achingly pretty!

The songs range from slow folksy ballads to moderately upbeat California pop, with just enough subtle rock to liven things up. The production is consistently masterful and bright, and there's some great guest artists (Papa Richard, famous fellow offspring Rufus Wainwright and the always surprising Emmylou Harris, to name a few).

The songs are ALL keepers, and the instrumentation, singing and gorgeous harmonies are the stuff of instant and future classics. So...

Don't buy this because you like the Thompson's. Buy this because you like very good music with sophisticated arrangements beautifuul executed by a promising fresh young talent who is soon to be a large force in the future of modern music. If not, buy it because you like the Thompsons. Either way, you'll be glad you did.

I wonder why the official reviewer and most of the other reviewers on here fail to mention Linda Thompson? One of the virtues of Teddy Thompson is that he inherited more of his voice from his mom than from his dad.

This album is a youthful debut. As such, it will occasionally have a bit of a callow feel on tracks such as "Missing Children" and "Love Her for That." Most of the material is at least solid and "All I See," later cut by his mom, is a quite wonderful melancholic ballad. I see no reason to criticize Teddy for being at the start of his creative career; he'll get better. What I find especially pleasing about this album (besides the lovely guitar work from dad and company) is the understated quality of it. This is where Linda's pedigree comes through again. It is not usual for a young artist to be so restrained. Indeed, comparison with Rufus Wainwright's "Poses" is instructive: Rufus' album is a testament to the artist's infatuation with his own extroverted cleverness while Teddy's album is honest and simple. I suppose it's obvious which album I listen to more.

I, for one, look forward to another Teddy Thompson album, however long that takes.

Teddy has spent a long time waiting to come out of the shadows, and I think it's time to give him his spotlight. He has emerged as an obvious product of his influences (mostly his father and Neil Finn), like anyone else, but he has really crafted his own space, a maturing sound and flavor all his own.

I saw one of Teddy's shows live a year ago, and I must say that the overall package has really progressed, from the early shows to the album. Teddy isn't trying to outrock the hard rockers, or outfolk the folkies, he's just making music that makes sense to his ears, and it comes across as very honest, very will within itself.

The collection of songs is really delightful, with a broad range of rhythms and tones, although it doesn't veer off of its course at any point. True, the songwriting may not yet compare to its influences, but as I said, let's give it a space of its own. It is, per se, quite easy to listen to, and doesn't bore on repeated listening.

Overall, a fine debut, that shows as much promise as anyone out there. It'll be interesting to see where he ends up!

How this cd didn't have Teddy proclaimed as the next James Taylor is incredible. The first three tracks are 'You've Got a Friend' good. They're 'Fire and Rain' good.'Sweet Baby James,' you name it. They're that good. And of course having Richard Thompson playing on several tracks only seals the deal. This is a great CD! And getting Emmylou to duet on the hidden track was just icing on the cake. If he can come up with a few more songs like these, Teddy definitely needs to look for a new label. Preferably one that's willing to come up with the airplay payola.

I first heard Teddy Thompson's gorgeous voice in a duet with his father on a live recording. His voice was what made the song hauntingly beautiful. I was very interested to hear an album of his own. I haven't been disappointed. The sweet vocals, great production, terrific musicians and strength of the songs have made me enjoy listening to this album over and over. The style and quality do remind me very much of Elliott Smith (esp. the XO album), of whom I am a big fan. Unlike some of the other reviewers, I don't have issues with his lyrics. (I've never seen such negativity directed at a female singer-songwriter who writes about her own experiences). If you like Elliott Smith, or some of the other artists mentioned by other reviewers, this CD is definitely worth a listen. It is strong and interesting throughout. And I love the additions of papa Richard's signature guitar.

I usually have to listen to something a time or two to know whether I really like it. If I like the songs on an album the first time through I know I have found a winner, and this CD blew me away from the start. Thompson's voice is remarkably pure and unaffected (and nothing like his rock-icon father's) and his song writing is expressive and assured. Yeah, maybe it's a little "confessional" and "sensitive" as earlier reviewer Michael Toland laments, but so was the guy he most reminds me of - Jackson Browne - and he only turned out some of the greatest albums and songs in singer/songwriter history. Whether Teddy reaches that plateau is obviously yet to be seen, but this debut is at least as strong as Jackson's. There is a miss or two ("Missing Children" comes to mind) but most of the tracks are great. If you make "best cut" cassette mixes like me, most of these songs will wind up on one eventually. Pop plays guitar on several tracks, fellow rock-progeny Rufus Wainwright does some harmonies, and Emmylou Harris joins Teddy with a beautiful harmony on the "hidden" track, Don Everly's "I Wonder if I Care as Much", one of the Everly's best, if lesser-known, songs. My advice: Ignore Toland's misguided (and average-depressing) review and BUY THIS CD! It will become one of your favorites.

I had the great fortune of catching Teddy Thompson perform Monday night at Frederick's Music Lounge in South St. Louis. That's Teddy Thompson, son of the famous Fairport Convention member, and current folk troubadour - Richard Thompson, and of course also one the true ladies of English folk - Linda Thompson. We saw Teddy supporting his father's band last September at the fabulous MOCK TUDOR tour, at which time he showed the potential to be very good. And his self-titled release 7243-8-49728-2-3 surely lives up to my expectations. Teddy's voice is pure, his mood reaching and deep, and his arrangements outstanding. His parents should be proud. Monday night there was about 40 people at Frederick's, in what turned out to be sort of a spur of the moment tour supporting his new release. Teddy was amused that there was no cover charge, just a donation given as you leave. My thanks go out to our community radio station, KDHX - 88.1 FM and to Freddy Friction - the owner of the tavern and a rock-a-billy disc jockey, for helping to bring Teddy to the heart of the city. Now go buy his new release and if you ever get a chance to see him live - don't miss out.

After all the hype and occasional reports of goings on at LA's Largo, many had high hopes for this debut record by Teddy Thompson. Although it's not the groundbreaking masterpiece that his friend and fellow offspring of famous rock parents Rufus Wainwright released a few years ago, it is certainly not without its merrits. This album shines mostly due to Joe Henry's gorgeous production along with the beautiful guitar playing of Teddy's dad Richard Thompson. His contributions are subtle but often enough to add much sparkle to these spare and quiet songs. One can't help but be reminded of how much Richard Thompson brought to Bonnie Raitt's great album "Luck of The Draw" or the debuts of both Syd Straw and Shawn Colvin. Thompson's guitar wizardry has a way of getting under your skin without you even realizing it until you're humming the songs long after you stopped playing the cd. Other stellar players include Greg Liesz, Emmylou Harris, and genius multi-instrumentalist Jon Brion. Imagine a young James Taylor with some masterful guitar driven music behind him and you'll get an idea of the general vibe of Teddy Thompson's debut. If he's got the fire or heart-wrenching emotion of either of his parents, it's not quite evident on this release; but nonetheless, this is an enjoyable collection of songs and it will certainly grow on you if you give it a chance.

The first song, "Wake Up", is a moving masterpiece and in an ideal world would have been a huge hit. "So Easy" is a silky, clever duet with Rufus Wainwright (who, by the way, co-wrote "Missing Children" with Thompson on this album and does another duet with him on the Brokeback Mountain soundtrack--these two are a great musical partnership!). Other highlights are the sadly ruminative "A Step Behind", the countryesque "Missing Children" and the pugnacious "Thanks A Lot." There's also a surprise, a stunning beautiful cover, with Emmylou Harris, of one of the great Everly Brothers songs, "I Wonder if I Care As Much." The other songs are good too, if not as melodically memorable. On some, Teddy does indeed have a remarkable aural resemblance to James Taylor. I understand he has a new record coming finally, with Verve Records, and am greatly looking forward to it. Also check out his two songs on the Brokeback Mountain soundtrack. Could "I Don't Want to Say Goodbye" be Oscar-bound? A very promising artist.

When I picked this CD up the other day, my decision was influenced more by the price tag than by any expectations I had for the album. To my surprise, the album is a great collection of acoustic pop that belongs in your CD collection right next to Elliot Smith. His lyrics are personal, but his craft is strong enough to avoid excess sentimentality or didacticism. The songs on it are assured, good, and pretty fun. He may not have anything "flashy" about him, but Teddy Thompson's first album is simply a great collection of strong songs. I love it, and if you're the acoustic pop/folk rock type, then I'm sure you will too.