When a musician is as good as
Richard Thompson, he's going to stand out from his accompanists no matter who they happen to be. But one of the many pleasures of
Thompson's albums from 2007's
Sweet Warrior onward has been the way he's grown into the fruitful working relationship with his rhythm section of drummer
Michael Jerome and bassist
Taras Prodaniuk. They rarely do much to call undue attention to themselves, which is as it should be with a good rhythm section, but
Jerome is a drummer who can add color, shade, and depth to a song while holding down the backbeat, and
Prodaniuk defines "in the pocket," keeping the low end solid while filling out space that allows
Thompson to take flight when he solos (and reminds us all that he is arguably the finest guitarist alive). If you want to fully appreciate the sound and feel of
Thompson's electric trio at work, 2018's
13 Rivers captures the interaction between these players beautifully.
Thompson produced the set himself, and he and engineer
Clay Blair have done an unusually fine job of capturing the nuances of the performances, both as individuals and as a group. They know how to make use of the studio, but they also know this band can make its own magic and the effect here is crisp, natural, and transparent. Hearing
Thompson and his band dig into these songs is truly satisfying, and as usual, he's left us no doubt that he's a master tunesmith, in particular in the troubled introspection of "The Storm Won't Come," the edgy contemplation of the unreliable inner voice in "The Rattle Within," the toxic certainty of "You Can't Reach Me," and the uncomfortable obsession of "She Was Meant for Me." The wit that usually dilutes the darker moments on a
Thompson album is, for the most part, conspicuous in its absence on
13 Rivers (though it's briefly evident on "O Cinderella"), but it does give this set a thematic consistency that's effective, and
Thompson's vocals are superb throughout, making the most of his dour but incisive stories.
13 Rivers isn't an unusual
Richard Thompson album in most respects, but it is one that makes the most of his craft as a guitarist, songwriter, and bandleader. Not many artists continue to create bold, compelling work that doesn't sound like it's treading creative water after a half-century, but 50 years on from
Fairport Convention's debut LP,
13 Rivers is striking music from a musician who remains fresh, contemporary, and peerless.