Teddy Thompson, Bella Album Review
The fifth full-length album from folk-pop singer-songwriter Teddy Thompson is another solid offering that cements a musical blend already near perfected on 2008's A Piece Of What You Need.
Opening track 'Looking For A Girl' is a bright and chirpy upbeat pop song with a flavour of Counting Crows. Like many of Teddy Thompson's songs, the track has a simple harmonic structure; this track based around the straightforward 12-bar blues but all the same has a strong beat and catchy melodies. The son of brit-folkers Richard and Linda Thompson, Teddy Thompson's music is Radio 2-friendly country tinged folk-pop that suggests a range of influences from said genres; with its' natural, effortless sounding vocals, much like other tracks, 'Delilah' sounds Thompson as something of a more folk Bubl'.
Later on the album, 'Over And Over' opens with rough folk fiddle which is then joined by picked acoustic guitar. The track lilts along contrasting those that preceded it with a sombre sounding tonality that, along with gestures of solo fiddle throughout, gives it a slightly foreign sounding feel. Again, 'Take Me Back Again' starts with a similarly thin accompaniment, down tempo with sorrowful, pleading lyrics and smooth strings before the drums kick into a busier part for verse two and the track drives forward. Already Teddy Thompson has evidenced great vocal flexibility interspersing his lovely strong rich tone with glimpses of smooth falsetto.
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