Ship To Shore

Description

When Richard Thompson began writing songs for his latest album, Ship to Shore, the artist was instinctively drawn to his own musical roots, using them to create a deep and diverse collection of 12 tracks that draw inspiration from various styles, genres, and eras, yet remain undeniably Richard Thompson. There’s the rumbling Motown rhythm that drives "Trust" and the straightforward rock riff of "Turnstile Casanova." The drone of "The Old Pack Mule," a "old man's song" inspired by 1600s European music, and "Life's a Bloody Show," an ode to "snake oil salesmen and charlatans" that floats on a glamorous, cabaret-like melody, which is "almost like a parody of a Noël Coward song, or something from Berlin in the 1920s," says Thompson. "I liked the idea of having a solid foundation to work from and reaching out from there," he says. "And I think my foundation is British traditional music, but there’s also Scottish music, there’s Irish music. There’s jazz, country, and classical. As far as I’m concerned, once you’ve established your foundation, you can reach anywhere. It will always be you resonating, wherever you decide to go musically."