Guitar-based pop, done skilfully, with words reflecting life’s imperfections.
Teddy Thompson, the son of British folk icons Richard and Linda Thompson, was born in the UK but now lives in Brooklyn. This is his tenth self-penned studio album, coming after Heartbreaker Please in 2020. Since then, he has done an album of classic country duets with Jenni Muldaur and his own album of country covers. However, Never Be The Same moves away from these, being guitar-based pop, or perhaps you could call it soft-rock. This is done well, with the tracks having good melodies and choruses. Thompson shows his talent as a songwriter, and the production by Grammy Award–winning musician/producer David Mansfield, where keyboards and strings, for example, are added skilfully to the guitars, enhances the tracks. It is an enjoyable listen, albeit one where the music isn’t as edgy as in many albums showcased by AUK, and so isn’t quite as memorable.
One highlight is the soulful So This Is Heartache, where the guitar and, later on, horns and keyboard, really complement the words of a man having the tables turned on him in a relationship: “I was the bounder/ Had it my own way/ I would think only of myself/ Then came the one girl/ Became my whole world/ And now she’s gone for good this time”. Another highlight is Make Up Your Mind, a fabulous, swinging pop song that would be a smash hit if there were such a thing these days.
Four songs remind you of The Mavericks in their melodies, giving a good idea of the quality and style on offer. In I Need Real (Love), he states that he never really loved his partner, and wants the real thing: “Oh and I know/ Whilst terrified by what I might feel/ I need real love”. If there is one thing that stands out about the “warts and all” words on the album, it is that Thompson doesn’t sugar-coat them to make himself look better. They reflect life as it can be, with its imperfections. I Remember tells of childhood memories, and a lover has done him wrong on The Game. The closer, Same Old Song, is lower key and seems to be a world-weary list of dates that he has had, with him accepting his own faults: “Paris ennui/ You’re a little bit afflicted/I’m a little bit addicted”.
He turns back to country music a little on Worst Two Weeks Of My Life, written about the difficulties of stopping drinking and facing your thoughts without alcohol. Not What I Need has a bit of a country-rock feel with some pedal steel. Here he revisits the theme of I Need Real (Love) and is finishing with a partner, but reassures them that “You’ll be fine/ In time”. Baby It’s You is addressed to the one he really wants, and has John Grant on synthesisers.
This is not an album for those who like their americana to be on the gritty side, but many will like the music and appreciate Thompson’s honest words.
