You Me Us - Richard Thompson

...the chilling "The Ghost Of You Walks" and the introspective "Burns Night" come out the best, and lyrically "Woods of Darney", a song about a soldier's love affair in France during World War I, is a gem.
Musically, though, I found this album a little disappointing. While I can't fault the songs, I've always enjoyed Richard's work not just for his writing but also for the colourful, imaginative instrumentation which ... more

This double album, one half electric ('voltage enhanced') and one half acoustic ('nude'), is a return to the more downbeat, brooding mood that characterised "Shoot Out The Lights", the last album Richard made with his soon to be ex-wife Linda 14 years earlier. The songs are as good as you'd expect from one of our most underrated geniuses, like the slightly reggaeish "Razor Dance" (which he obviously loved so much as he does a different version on both discs), and the rockabilly "Am I Wasting My Time On You". Of the more sombre songs, the chilling "The Ghost Of You Walks" and the introspective "Burns Night" come out the best, and lyrically "Woods of Darney", a song about a soldier's love affair in France during World War I, is a gem.
Musically, though, I found this album a little disappointing. While I can't fault the songs, I've always enjoyed Richard's work not just for his writing but also for the colourful, imaginative instrumentation which breaks down the barriers between pop, rock and world music, and if you want to hear him pitting that expressive mournful voice and biting lead guitar against a backdrop of saxophone, accordeon and hammered dulcimer, you'll listen in vain here. This really is one for the fan who has already got several of his others.
 

...less