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Amazon.co.uk Review
Back in the '80s and '90s, Richard Thompson could be depended upon to release a well-crafted collection of Celtic-influenced folk-rock every few years. But when he left Capitol after 1999's Mock Tudor, Thompson headed off on side projects, all of typically high quality, but not the solo albums his established cult expected. Those fans can now rejoice, because on Sweet Warrior Thompson roars back with his first electric set of originals since 2003, and it's a winner. As the disc's title implies, he revisits the familiar territory of love as a battlefield in these 14 originals. The concept is emphasized by a liner photo of the singer/songwriter in army gear and camouflage flanked by two beautiful women planting kisses on either cheek. Supported by longtime backing cohorts, the guitarist adds to his six-string talents with occasional mandolin, autoharp, accordion, and even organ, all used as icing on a cake of tunes that further refine his established style. Perhaps the most startling song is the viciously anti-war "Dad's Going to Kill Me," about a soldier stationed in Baghdad (the "Dad" of the title), wondering if he will survive another day. "Guns are the Tongues" finds Thompson telling the tragic tale of a young man enticed by a woman's charms ending up as a suicide-bombing terrorist. Thompson's dramatic guitar solos are kept on low boil, occasionally bubbling up but never hogging the spotlight. They are, along with his distinctive vocals, actors in a play of characteristically classy tunes that will thrill Thompson's fans, who have been waiting for just such a set of literate and challenging music from a musician who never delivers less. --Hal Horowitz
Review
When an artist has penned soundtracks, won an Ivor Novello award, been named as one of the top 20 guitarists of all time and received a life time folk achievement award, it is expected retirement may be imminent. But folk singer Richard Thompson shows little sign of hanging up his guitar just yet.
In a career spanning well over 40 years, Thompson is one of folk's old faithfuls - his talent for combining intricate and animated guitar lines with thoughtful lyrics has seen him a permanent fixture on the folk scene. Sweet Warrior is Thompson at his best; he has channelled decades of experience into an album that flows with sensibility but never gives over to banal song writing cliché.
''She Sang Angels To Rest'' showcases Thompson's distinctive voice, incorporating yearning solo viola and swelling strings to beautiful effect. While album opener ''Needle And Thread'' has a playful swaggering arrogance, it is the defiantly provocative ''I'll Never Give Up'' - a brilliantly wayward comic-chase of a track - that makes a lasting impact.
What comes across most is the insistent war themes hidden among lyrics of forlorn lovers and turbulent love. ''Guns Are The Tongues'' - an achingly ponderous ballad on war - is hugely affecting in its forthright questioning of conflict. ''Dad's Gonna Kill Me'' is a revved-up but no less stark account of the atrocities in Iraq - a refreshing take on a war we have become somewhat numb to.
Sweet Warrior is a collection of songs that refuses to be taken too seriously. While the slower tracks radiate genuine feeling, the rambunctious up-tempo numbers evaluate with an ever-present cheeky glint in the eye - an eye that the irrepressible Thompson has firmly on the ball. --Gemma Padley
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Uptempo for the most part, although not always cheerful (when is RT ever!) this is a welcome return, showing the form you'd expect of a thoroughbred who has consistently produced good music and good performances since his early days as a very young member of Fairport Convention (now in their 40th year) with whom he will be performing at this years Cropredy Convention in August 2007.
Some highlights:
Opening the album, "Needle And Thread" is just great, hitting you between the ears where it is most pleasurable.
As noted above, the music can be uptempo even when the subject matter is death, destruction and the horrors of war. "`Dad's going to kill me" (as in Baghdad) is memorable and an instant modern classic.
Straying almost into zydeco for "Bad Monkey", Thompson continues to show his ability to assimilate other styles and incorporate it into his virtuoso guitar playing.
"Francesca" is reggae - once more the musical roots of the sixties give rise to a great little song.
"She Sang Angels To Rest" is, in shorthand, this album's "Beeswing" commemorating a summer affair.
"Johnny's Far Away" is a folk-like tale of a sailors cuckoldry with a great violin part, played by Sarah Watkins of Nickel Creek fame. With Danny Thompson on double bass, this is a memorable track.
Other musicians featured on this album include Taras Prodaniuk (electric guitar), Michael Jerome (drums), Michael Hayes (guitar) and Judith Owen (backing vocals) (from "1,000 years of Popular Music").
To classify this album - or this musician - as merely "folk" or "folk-rock" belies the width of his appeal and the variety that his years of superb musicianship have brought to his style.
Buy it and you'll not be wasting a penny.
Some highlights:
Opening the album, "Needle And Thread" is just great, hitting you between the ears where it is most pleasurable.
As noted above, the music can be uptempo even when the subject matter is death, destruction and the horrors of war. "`Dad's going to kill me" (as in Baghdad) is memorable and an instant modern classic.
Straying almost into zydeco for "Bad Monkey", Thompson continues to show his ability to assimilate other styles and incorporate it into his virtuoso guitar playing.
"Francesca" is reggae - once more the musical roots of the sixties give rise to a great little song.
"She Sang Angels To Rest" is, in shorthand, this album's "Beeswing" commemorating a summer affair.
"Johnny's Far Away" is a folk-like tale of a sailors cuckoldry with a great violin part, played by Sarah Watkins of Nickel Creek fame. With Danny Thompson on double bass, this is a memorable track.
Other musicians featured on this album include Taras Prodaniuk (electric guitar), Michael Jerome (drums), Michael Hayes (guitar) and Judith Owen (backing vocals) (from "1,000 years of Popular Music").
To classify this album - or this musician - as merely "folk" or "folk-rock" belies the width of his appeal and the variety that his years of superb musicianship have brought to his style.
Buy it and you'll not be wasting a penny.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
RT has been with me throughout my adult life. Thankfully a great album always seems to coincide with personal events that require something hard-hitting in the CD player. But this honestly is the best. Rumor and Sigh and Mirror Blue were classics, but I've never been so addicted to a RT release, not even the first time I heard Liege and Lief or Full House.
Dad's gonna kill me, Francesca, Guns are the Tongues are incomparable.
The whole album is masterful, I didnt think his best was still to come, but it was!
Dad's gonna kill me, Francesca, Guns are the Tongues are incomparable.
The whole album is masterful, I didnt think his best was still to come, but it was!
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
OK, I admit, I am not the most unbiased of RT critics, in fact, I believe he is the greatest musician on the planet. However, I can still see he has his weaker moments, like 2005's tranquil but dull 'Front Parlor Ballads' ,however, MY GOD, is this not one of them!! This is a return to the greatness of the electric earthy sound of 2003's Old Kit Bag, but yet better. It sounds like Richard's been trying to get back to a somewhat more folky sound for a while, and possibly that was his fall on FPB. However, here the sound could not be better, the electricity of his band on rocking form, plus a few more mandolins, violins, accordions and fiddles. On this album Richard is taking on the subject of war, with a touch of love gone wrong [Richard.... Never!!].
Particular highlights at first include the surprising pop perfection found in 'I'll never give it up' and 'Poppy Red', his sublime Iraq song 'Dad's Gonna Kill Me' (yeah, we may be bored of hearing them but to find one with a bit of humor attached is extremely refreshing!) and the swashbuckling 'Johnny's Far Away'.
To be honest, I'm not too keen on the rock&froll feel of 'Bad Monkey'... But every great rt album has one track which you often skip, mainly due to the outstanding greatness of the others!!
BUY!
Particular highlights at first include the surprising pop perfection found in 'I'll never give it up' and 'Poppy Red', his sublime Iraq song 'Dad's Gonna Kill Me' (yeah, we may be bored of hearing them but to find one with a bit of humor attached is extremely refreshing!) and the swashbuckling 'Johnny's Far Away'.
To be honest, I'm not too keen on the rock&froll feel of 'Bad Monkey'... But every great rt album has one track which you often skip, mainly due to the outstanding greatness of the others!!
BUY!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
There is a live version of many tracks from this Album too ...
Without doubt my favourite RT studio album.
For those of you who prefer RT live I can highly reccomend visiting his website where in the CD section you will find a live... Read more
For those of you who prefer RT live I can highly reccomend visiting his website where in the CD section you will find a live... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Tim Taylor
Below par
Take Care The Road You Choose is up there with the very best RT songs; unfortunately it's not matched by anything else on here. Read more
Published on 15 Dec 2009 by Matthew Hayes
Excellent
Never listened to Mr Thompson before Jules appearance. Now can't get enough of him. THIS IS AN EXCELLENT ALBUM.
Published on 5 July 2008 by K. S. Wheeler
National Treasure
The Elder Statesman of Folk Rock is Back.
A National Treasure If Ever There Was !
The 14 songs in Mr Thompson's newest album 'Sweet Warrior'
find the man... Read more
A National Treasure If Ever There Was !
The 14 songs in Mr Thompson's newest album 'Sweet Warrior'
find the man... Read more
Published on 31 May 2008 by The Wolf
Superb, intelligent, witty, beautiful music
Before listening to this album, I'd never heard a Richard Thompson solo album before, so I approached Sweet Warrior with no pre-conceptions other than knowing that he was a... Read more
Published on 6 Mar 2008 by A. Sweeney
A five star album
Though this album was released in May, I didn't buy a copy till October. Partly because I'd enjoyed " The Old Kit Bag " as much as anything I'd heard by Richard Thompson ( I'm no... Read more
Published on 13 Jan 2008 by nick374
His best set for years
OK, Richard Thompson is a hero of mine. I think there is no finer giutarist on the plant. But, to be honest, he doesn't always hit top form, though his second-best is better than... Read more
Published on 2 Jan 2008 by A.lan Stevens
RT takes his humvee frankenstein to the middle of the road
It seems that if you liked Front Parlour Ballads you'll be disappointed with this, and vice versa. I loved the musical adventurousness in most of FPB, and the lyrics were often... Read more
Published on 15 Nov 2007 by A Reader
It works better live
I've been living with this album for a while now, and I've come to the conclusion that it's a bit of a mixed bag. Read more
Published on 26 Oct 2007 by MisterKeith
A killer
I bought this for a friend when it came out in the summer, then borrowed it back last week when the chance to go and see the live show arose. Read more
Published on 23 Oct 2007 by Jeremy Walton
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