Producer: Engineer: Tracks: For the Sake of Mary; I Can't Wake Up to Save My Life; MGB-GT; The Way That it Shows; Easy There, Steady Now; King of Bohemia; Shane and Dixie; Mingus Eyes; I Ride in Your Slipstream; Beeswing; Fast Food; Mascara Tears; Taking My Business Elsewhere
Richard Thompson has been around for a long, long time now. Just about the only other artist from the rock 'n roll era that has been around as long without stagnating is Neil Young. Thompson and Young are a breed apart. Each of them has kept their music fresh, invigorating and often exciting. Young has had more commercial succes, his music using rock 'n roll as the springboard for excursions into other genres (notably folk and country). Thompson co-founded the folk-rock group Fairport Convention back in the 60's and has used that Celtic-isles influence as his springboard. Both men have endured and progressed. Thompson left Fairport and released several of the best albums of the 80's with his wife Linda (Shoot Out the Lights, I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight) and then went on to release several excellent solo albums after Richard and Linda's marriage broke up (Across a Crowded Room, Amnesia, Rumour and Sigh). Mirror Blue finds Thompson a little less dark than usual, but he still manages to turn many a wry phrase in his lyrics. His guitar generally stings where it needs to, caresses wherever necessary and flat out burns on the few occasions that Thompson just lets all hell break loose. All of these tracks are good - you can't go wrong.
Rating : ****