Richard Thompson is set to return with 13 Rivers on September 14 2018, via Proper Records. The 13-song set is the Grammy-nominated artist’s first self-produced album in over a decade and was recorded 100% analogue in just ten days. It was engineered by Clay Blair (The War On Drugs) and features Thompson’s regular accompanists Michael Jerome (drums, percussion), Taras Prodaniuk (bass), and Bobby Eichorn (guitar).
13 Rivers is a bare-bones, emotionally direct album that speaks from the heart with no filters. “There are 13 songs on the record, and each one is like a river,” Thompson explains. “Some flow faster than others. Some follow a slow and winding current. They all culminate on this one body of work.”
A high water mark in an overwhelmingly impressive career, 13 Rivers was recorded at the famed Boulevard Recording Studio in Los Angeles. Previously known as The Producer’s Workshop, which was owned by Liberace and his manager, the locale served as the site for seminal classics by Steely Dan, Fleetwood Mac, Ringo Starr, and hosted the mixing sessions for Pink Floyd’s legendary The Wall.
Of the album, Thompson says, “The songs are a surprise in a good way. They came to me as a surprise in a dark time. They reflected my emotions in an oblique manner that I’ll never truly understand. It’s as if they’d been channelled from somewhere else. You find deeper meaning in the best records as time goes on. The reward comes later.” He continues, “I don’t know how the creative process works. I suppose it is some kind of bizarre parallel existence to my own life. I often look at a finished song and wonder what the hell is going on inside me. We sequenced the weird stuff at the front of the record, and the tracks to grind your soul into submission at the back.”
13 Rivers commences on the tribal percussion and guitar rustle of “The Storm Won’t Come” as the artist bellows, “I’m looking for a storm to blow through town.” The energy mounts before climaxing on a lyrical electric lead rife with airy bends and succinct shredding from the guitar virtuoso. Listen below to “The Storm Won’t Come,” alongside an additional new album track, “Bones of Gilead.”
13 Rivers will be available across digital platforms, compact disc and vinyl. Richard Thompson’s 13 Rivers is available for pre-order now via: http://smarturl.it/rt-13rivers
Richard Thompson 13 Rivers Track List:
- The Storm Won’t Come
- The Rattle Within
- Her Love Was Meant For Me
- Bones Of Gilead
- The Dog In You
- Trying
- Do All These Tears Belong To You?
- My Rock, My Rope
- You Can’t Reach Me
- O Cinderella
- No Matter
- Pride
- Shaking The Gates
Richard Thompson Tour Dates
Sun, 5th August 2018 — Wickham, Wickham Festival (Electric Trio)
Wed, 8th August 2018 — Cheshire, Gawsworth Hall
Fri, 10th August 2018 — Torquay, Princess Theatre
Wed, 15th August 2018 — Belfast, Empire Music Hall
Thu, 16th August 2018 — Dublin, National Concert Hall
Fri, 17th August 2018 — Cork, St Luke’s
Sat, 18th August 2018 — Wareham, Purbeck Valley Folk Festival (Electric Trio)
Sun, 19th August 2018 — Devon, Beautiful Days Festival (Electric Trio)
Fri, 24th August 2018 — Towersey, Towersey Festival (Electric Trio)
Sat, 25th August 2018 — Shrewsbury, Shrewsbury Folk Festival (Electric Trio)
Thu, 11th October 2018 — Liverpool, Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
Sat, 13th October 2018 — Perth, Perth Concert Hall
Mon, 15th October 2018 — Canterbury, Marlowe Theatre
Tue, 16th October 2018 — London, Barbican Centre
Wed, 17th October 2018 — Bath, The Forum
Thu, 18th October 2018 — Nottingham, Royal Concert Hall
Sat, 20th October 2018 — Stoke On Trent, Victoria Hall
Sun, 21st October 2018 — Manchester, Manchester Opera House
Mon, 22nd October 2018 — York, Grand Opera House
Tue, 23rd October 2018 — Hull, City Hall
Wed, 24th October 2018 — Gateshead, The Sage Gateshead
Fri, 26th October 2018 — Birmingham, Birmingham Town Hall
Sat, 27th October 2018 — Southend, Cliffs Pavilion
Sun, 28th October 2018 — Oxford, Oxford New Theatre
Tue, 30th October 2018 — Cambridge, Cambridge Corn Exchange
Wed, 31st October 2018 — Salisbury, City Hall
Thu, 1st November 2018 — Bexhill, De La Warr Pavilion
Fri, 2nd November 2018 — High Wycombe, High Wycombe Swan
Sat, 3rd November 2018 — Woking, The New Victoria
http://www.richardthompson-music.com/
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Photo credit: Tom Bejgrowicz