From Amazon.com
A few exceptional songs
Album Rating: (3 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: I bought this CD on the strength of "Wake Up" which I thought was just a fantastic piece of song writing. The rest of the disk was a little underwhelming in the knock my socks off sense. But as with many albums repeated listening brings forth a few gems that I really, really like. "All we Said" and "So Easy" are very nice songs and have made it to my iTunes/iPod rotation. It's also a thrill to hear Richard Thompson's guitar work on several tracks. 3 stars is not a knock against this CD - I rarely ever give 5 stars to anything unless it is absolutely stellar.
New to Teddy Thompson
Album Rating: (4 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: Bought this to compliment the newer, second CD Separate Ways - which I find I cannot stop listerning to.
This is quite good too
Wake Up! This is a great CD!
Album Rating: (4 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: The first song, "Wake Up", is a moving masterpiece and in an ideal world would have been a huge hit. "So Easy" is a silky, clever duet with Rufus Wainwright (who, by the way, co-wrote "Missing Children" with Thompson on this album and does another duet with him on the Brokeback Mountain soundtrack--these two are a great musical partnership!). Other highlights are the sadly ruminative "A Step Behind", the countryesque "Missing Children" and the pugnacious "Thanks A Lot." There's also a surprise, a stunning beautiful cover, with Emmylou Harris, of one of the great Everly Brothers songs, "I Wonder if I Care As Much." The other songs are good too, if not as melodically memorable. On some, Teddy does indeed have a remarkable aural resemblance to James Taylor. I understand he has a new record coming finally, with Verve Records, and am greatly looking forward to it. Also check out his two songs on the Brokeback Mountain soundtrack. Could "I Don't Want to Say Goodbye" be Oscar-bound? A very promising artist.
Strong effort
Album Rating: (4 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: I bought this after hearing Persuasion on the Richard Thompson Greatest Hits cd. It's very good. Teddy is a strong songwriter and has a much better voice than his father. A strong addition to the Gramercy Park brat pack.
A very fine unassuming debut
Album Rating: (4 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: I wonder why the official reviewer and most of the other reviewers on here fail to mention Linda Thompson? One of the virtues of Teddy Thompson is that he inherited more of his voice from his mom than from his dad.
This album is a youthful debut. As such, it will occasionally have a bit of a callow feel on tracks such as "Missing Children" and "Love Her for That." Most of the material is at least solid and "All I See," later cut by his mom, is a quite wonderful melancholic ballad. I see no reason to criticize Teddy for being at the start of his creative career; he'll get better. What I find especially pleasing about this album (besides the lovely guitar work from dad and company) is the understated quality of it. This is where Linda's pedigree comes through again. It is not usual for a young artist to be so restrained. Indeed, comparison with Rufus Wainwright's "Poses" is instructive: Rufus' album is a testament to the artist's infatuation with his own extroverted cleverness while Teddy's album is honest and simple. I suppose it's obvious which album I listen to more.
I, for one, look forward to another Teddy Thompson album, however long that takes.
Purchases
1 Wake Up
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