Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
For some the storm never appears, they sit waiting for a sign of thunder, of the spark of lightning to reach out to the Earth, before they start to write, to create, or even seek shelter. The storm from within, the gathering of words that play in the mind, it is almost as if the swell of distant tidal storm is racing down through the mind and to the fingers, that 13 Rivers have found a way to merge, to burst open the inventive, original mind and release an abundance of near-perfection out into the world. In folk legend Richard Thompson, it takes more than a mile wide damn to stop the flood of 13 Rivers from achieving his goal.
Richard Thompson always finds a way to take note of the world, to see it, to observe it, and find a way to bring matters to the attention of the public, arguably one of the gentlest and candid of men, his music and lyrical passion have always stood out in a sea of troubles as an island of safety and intrigue.
His new album, 13 Rivers, is a continuation of that unpretentious beating heart, of music so entrenched in the beauty and mystique of the human soul that the listener cannot but help fall for the timeless approach that Mr. Thompson exudes; it is an approach which is unaffected by the hypocritical stance of others, of the foiled latest phase, it is a simple remedy on offer and one that awaits the storm with eager fascination.
Across songs such as the opening track of The Storm Won’t Come, Her Love Was Meant For Me, Bones of Gilead, Do These Tears Belong To You? You Can;t Reach Me, O Cinderella and Shaking The Gates, the difficulty of life becomes clear, the way forward, sometimes closed and guarded by the black dogs of suffering, is an open and relieving trip; a sense of the cathartic is overwhelming, a passion for the light and to see where these rivers flow onward to is irresistibly charismatic.
In Richard Thompson so many have always put their trust, their faith, and whilst no one person can stand up to that type of collective audience pressure for ever, in 13 Rivers that trust continues upstream, it floats unabated, it seizes the will to make music the dream that it is and the reality of expression we all need.
A stunningly beautiful album, Richard Thompson at his very finest.
Ian D. Hall