Richard Thompson fans will be excited to hear that one of our greatest guitarists and songwriters is to release a new album titled ‘Electric’. It will be released on Proper Records on Monday February 11th before he takes to the road for a major UK tour on Wednesday February 20th. Get your first taster here with this great track: Good Things Happen To Bad People –
After taking the bold step of recording his last album of new songs live, when it came to recording ‘Electric’, Thompson turned to Buddy Miller (Robert Plant, Solomon Burke, Emmylou Harris. Patty Griffin) to produce, recording at Miller’s home studio in Nashville, TN. . Miller who himself is a renowned for his guitar skills recently told with Rolling Stone, “I played along on the record, playing rhythm guitar for him, and I got a two-week guitar lesson while he camped out in my house.”
The record was recorded as an electric trio with Thompson, drummer Michael Jerome and bassist Taras Prodaniuk, who both sing background vocals. Jerome and Prodaniuk formed part of the band which recorded and toured the UK Top Twenty album Dream Attic, released in August 2010. They make up the trio, with Thompson, on his forthcoming UK dates, his first extensive tour in two years.
Guests on ‘Electric’ include the legendary Alison Krauss who joins Thompson on ‘The Snow Goose’, while English singer-songwriter Siobhan Maher Kennedy (formerly with River City People and now resident in Nashville) adds vocals on several tracks as well. Fiddle great Stuart Duncan also plays on the record; one of America’s leading bluegrass musicians he played on recent albums by Robert Plant/Alison Krauss and Elvis Costello and will be familiar in the UK from BBC4′s Transatlantic Sessions.
Tour Dates
Wed, 20 February, Cardiff, UK St David’s Hall
Thu, 21 February, Birmingham, UK Symphony Hall
Fri, 22 February, Brighton, UK Dome
Sat, 23 February, Bristol, UK Colston Hall
Sun, 24 February, Cambridge, UK Corn Exchange
Mon, 25 February, London, UK 02 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
Thu, 28 February, Edinburgh, UK Usher Hall
Fri, 1 March, Liverpool, UK Philharmonic Hall
Sat, 2 March, Sheffield, UK City Hall
Sun, 3 March, Gateshead, UK The Sage Gateshead
Wed, 6 March, Nottingham, UK Royal Concert Hall
Thu, 7 March, Bexhill On Sea, UK De La Warr Pavilion
Fri, 8 March, Basingstoke Anvil Arts
Sun, 10 March, Salford, UK The Lowry