| 13 Rivers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 14 September 2018 | |||
| Studio | Boulevard Recording, Hollywood | |||
| Genre | Folk rock | |||
| Length | 53:30 | |||
| Label | New West (US) Proper (UK) | |||
| Producer | Richard Thompson | |||
| Richard Thompson chronology | ||||
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13 Rivers is the eighteenth solo studio album by British singer/songwriter Richard Thompson. It was released on 14 September 2018 by New West Records in the US and by Proper Records in the UK.
13 Rivers was written after a period of difficulty for Thompson's family [1] [2] with songs that stick "close to a vision of darkness, gloom, and noise". [3] Thompson explains that the songs were written in a "fairly tight time period of about six months", giving them a sense of commonality. [4] He states that "many of these songs came to him as a pleasant surprise and that feeling of grabbing the creative urge and running with it is what comes across throughout the running time". [5]
The record was self-produced by Thompson with the album and some minor overdubs being recorded entirely on analogue equipment over a 10-day period. [3] [4] [6] [7]
The album title derives from the song count, with Thompson explaining that "there are 13 songs on the record, and each one is like a river. Some flow faster than others". [8] This is illustrated further by the album's cover art which features a map by Thompson "showing the individual songs on the album flowing into a central lake". [9]
In 2019 Robin Denselow, interviewing Thompson for The Guardian suggested the album was "filled with religious imagery"; Thompson explained, "... because I love the King James Bible, a beautiful piece of poetry, and you have to speak to people in a language that's familiar." Although coming after his divorce from Nancy Covey and his move to New Jersey, he insisted, that the album was not autobiographical: "I have no perspective on what I am doing. I write a song and think, 'Where does this come from?' Me? I wrote this? I write fiction ... I'm just enjoying myself, throwing lines together. I think it always reflects your own experience and feelings, but it isn’t always in a way that’s clear. If you find something honest enough in yourself then it will be universal." [10]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 81/100 [11] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [12] |
| The Financial Times | [9] |
| Folk Radio UK | Positive [5] |
| The Irish Times | [13] |
| Mojo | [2] |
| NPR | Positive [8] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [14] |
| PopMatters |   [3] |
| Uncut | 9/10 [7] |
On Metacritic, which aggregates reviews from critics and assigns a normalised rating out of 100, 13 Rivers received a score of 81, based on one mixed and six positive reviews. [11]
The album received generally favourable reviews from the press, [15] with it being described as "brilliant" and "engaging" by PopMatters who state that 13 Rivers is "a raw, unfiltered affair from a veteran artist who shows no signs of slowing down". [3] Folk Radio UK call 13 Rivers "a toothy energetic album" [5] and Uncut write that "13 Rivers is a sparse, raging and noisy record". [7] The Irish Times agreed that "the tone is ominous from the get-go" [13] " and Mojo write that "this may be Richard Thompson's most creative album in decades" describing the record as being "driven along by a renewed sense of urgency and purpose". [2] NPR feel that the album has captured Thompson's live sound, explaining that "the live show is always spectacular, and on 13 Rivers, Thompson more than manages to bring that live energy and those searing and soaring guitar solos to life in the studio". [8] AllMusic write that "Thompson's vocals are superb throughout" claiming that "13 Rivers is striking music from a musician who remains fresh, contemporary, and peerless". [12]
All tracks written by Richard Thompson: [16]
| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [17] | 61 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) [18] | 10 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [19] | 96 |
| UK Albums (OCC) [20] | 18 |
Richard Thompson is an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist.
Linda Thompson is an English singer-songwriter.
I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight is the second album released by Richard Thompson, and his first to include his then wife, Linda Thompson, the pair being credited as Richard and Linda Thompson. It was issued by Island Records in the UK in 1974. Although the album was never commercially successful, and was critically ignored upon its release, it is now considered by several critics to be a masterpiece and one of the finest releases by the two singers, whether working singly or together.
Front Parlour Ballads is the twelfth studio album by Richard Thompson, recorded in 2004.
Teddy Thompson is an English folk and rock musician. He is the son of folk rock musicians Richard and Linda Thompson and brother of singer Kamila Thompson. He released his first album in 2000.
Cry Cry Cry was a folk supergroup, consisting of Richard Shindell, Lucy Kaplansky, and Dar Williams. The band released an eponymous album of cover songs on October 13, 1998.
South of Delia is the seventh solo album by American folk singer-songwriter Richard Shindell. South of Delia is a cover album. Although he himself is sometimes described as a "songwriter's songwriter," covers are not new to Shindell. In addition to recording a few on his previous solo albums, he was also one third of the folk supergroup / cover band Cry Cry Cry. On South of Delia, Shindell covers songs from several songwriting legends, including Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan, as well as some from younger up-and-coming writer/performers, such as Jeffrey Foucault and Josh Ritter.
Adieu False Heart is a collaborative album by American singer, songwriter, and producer Linda Ronstadt featuring Cajun music singer Ann Savoy. It peaked at #146 on the Billboard album chart and nominated at the 2006 Grammy Awards for Best Traditional Folk Album and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. This was Ronstadt's final studio album before her retirement in 2011 and the revelation of her affliction with Parkinson's disease in 2013, leaving her unable to perform or sing.
Sweet Warrior is the thirteenth studio album by Richard Thompson, released in 2007. Thompson financed the recording of this album himself and then licensed the finished album to various labels for distribution. On its release, Sweet Warrior entered Amazon.com's top 20 for music sales.
"Boat on the River" is a 1979 song by Styx, from their album Cornerstone. It was released as a single in 1980 in various countries, but not in the band's native United States, where "Borrowed Time" was released instead.
Acoustic Classics is the fifteenth solo studio album by British singer-songwriter Richard Thompson. It was released by Beeswing Records via Proper Records on 21 July 2014 in the UK and 22 July 2014 in the US.
The Rails is an English folk rock duo from London, England, composed of husband and wife James Walbourne and Kami Thompson. Thompson and Walbourne first met during the recording sessions for Versatile Heart by Thompson's mother Linda Thompson in 2007. The band signed to Island Records in January 2014 and released their debut album on 5 May 2014 on the label's Pink Label imprint, the first band to do so since the 1970s.
Still is the sixteenth solo studio album by British singer-songwriter Richard Thompson. It was released by Fantasy Records on 23 June 2015 in the US and by Proper Records on 29 June 2015 in the UK.
Family is the debut studio album by folk rock family ensemble Thompson. It was released by Fantasy Records, part of Concord Music, on 17 November 2014.
Cass County is the fifth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Don Henley. The album was released on September 25, 2015, by Past Masters Holdings and Capitol Records. It was Don Henley's first new solo album in 15 years since 2000's Inside Job.
Cruel River is the second solo studio album by English folk singer-songwriter Steve Knightley. Knightley had spent 2006 with Show of Hands, his duo with Phil Beer, recording, releasing and promoting their twelfth album together, Witness, which saw the duo explore a worldbeat sound that departed from their usual English folk sound. The album was a success with critics and most fans, although some were perplexed by its direction. During a break in promoting that album with touring in early 2007, Knightley decided to record his first solo album since 1999. Hiring regular Show of Hands collaborator Mark Tucker to co-produce the album with himself, Knightley recorded the album in Presshouse Studios, Colyton in February 2007. The album explores a stripped-back, minimal English folk sound, similar to that of early Show of Hands. Lyrically, the album tackles dark subject matter.
Somedays the Song Writes You is the thirteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Guy Clark. It was released on September 22, 2009, under Dualtone Records, and was nominated for Best Contemporary Folk Album at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards.
Not Dark Yet is a duet album between sisters and country/Americana singer-songwriters Shelby Lynne and Allison Moorer. Produced by British folk artist Teddy Thompson, Not Dark Yet was released on August 18, 2017. It is Moorer's ninth studio album, Lynne's fifteenth and marks the first official studio collaboration between the siblings. The title track is taken from the Bob Dylan song of the same name.
Acoustic Classics II is the seventeenth solo studio album by British singer-songwriter Richard Thompson. It was released by Beeswing Records on 10 August 2017.
"Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream" is a song written by American folk singer-songwriter Ed McCurdy in 1950. Due to McCurdy's connection with fellow musicians, it was common in repertoires within the folk music community. The song had its first album release when Pete Seeger recorded it as "Strangest Dream" for his 1956 album Love Songs For Friends & Foes. Seeger would later re-visit the song for his 1967 album Waist Deep in the Big Muddy and other Love Songs. The strong anti-war theme of the song led it to be recorded by multiple other artists, including The Weavers (1960), Joan Baez (1962), The Kingston Trio (1963), Simon & Garfunkel (1964), and Johnny Cash who released two versions of the song during the 2000s.
