Customer Reviews
Excellent - By: K. S. Wheeler, 05 Jul 2008 
Never listened to Mr Thompson before Jules appearance. Now can't get enough of him. THIS IS AN EXCELLENT ALBUM.
National Treasure - By: The Wolf, 31 May 2008 The Elder Statesman of Folk Rock is Back.
A National Treasure If Ever There Was !
The 14 songsin Mr Thompson's newest album 'Sweet Warrior'
find the man & his guitarin fine fettle & fighting fit.
Solid writing. Solid performances. Solid production.
Getting the picture.
Bitter, angry, wry, funny, affectionate.
From the four-square rocker 'Mr Stupid', through the gently
reflective 'Take Care The Road You Choose' & gently lilting ska of 'Francesca',
to the lacerating anti-war sentiments of 'Guns & Tongues' & 'Dad's Gonna Kill Me',
this is music of a self-assured master of his craft firing on all cylinders.
Grown up stuff & all the richer for it.
Inimitable & unmissable.
Highly recommended.
Superb, intelligent, witty, beautiful music - By: A. Sweeney, 06 Mar 2008 Before listening to this album, I'd never heard a Richard Thompson solo album before, so I approached Sweet Warrior with no pre-conceptions other than knowing that he was a well-respected guitarist & that he'd once beenin Fairport Convention. My only real point of reference was a performance on the BBC's Later... With Jools Holland which had impressed. It could be said, therefore, that Richard Thompson has been my surprise package of the year because this album completely blew me away. Brilliant music, fantastic lyrics, absolutely breathtaking musicianship - a folk-rock masterpiece.
A mixture of intricate, musically complex folk-based rockers (the amazing & really quite funny album opener Needle And Thread & the sensational Poppy Red), some insanely brilliant rock 'n' roll (Mr. Stupid, Bad Monkey), a handful of tender ballads (Take Care The Road You Choose, Too Late To Come Fishing, She Sang Angels To Rest) as well as the exceptional, fiercely anti-war song Dad's Gonna Kill Me & the superb tale of a man enticed by a woman into committing acts of terrorism (Guns Are The Tongues), Sweet Warrior is a multifaceted, perpetually fascinating listen which oozes class, integrity & intelligence from each lyric, note & chord change. If the quality of the songs didn't waver (only slightly) towards the end of the album, this could easily have been my album of the year -in fact, each time I listen to Sweet Warrior, it actually feels like it is. Truly exceptional.
A five star album - By: nick374, 13 Jan 2008 Though this album was releasedin May, I didn't buy a copy till October. Partly because I'd enjoyed " The Old Kit Bag " as much as anything I'd heard by Richard Thompson ( I'm no RT expert )but found "Front Parlour Ballads" difficult to get into.
Having now listened to this album for the last three months I'd recommend it to anyone interestedin hearing Richard Thompson. The album did appear on many of the media critics "best albums" lists for 2007. But not usually near the top. I now wonder if this low placing was due to the critics playing the album a few times - then moving on to other new releases for review?
Richard Thompson's music always rewards repeated listening. In my case usually demands it, & this album gets better & better each time I hear it.
In fact, I think I'll go & dig out "Front Parlour Ballads" again.
His best set for years - By: A. Stevens, 02 Jan 2008 OK, Richard Thompson is a hero of mine. I think there is no finer giutarist on the plant. But, to be honest, he doesn't always hit top form, though his second-best is better than almost anyone else. Just before the Millennium, Mock Tudor was released & I thought it was fantastic. Eight years later, another classic appears. That's about par for the course.
Sweet Warrior is full of the usual themes - bleak humour, vengeful ex-partners, death & destruction, but all interspersed with haunting musical themes from English folk, jazz & Celtic traditions.
Though he's not necessarily the bloke to spend a jolly evening with at a party, his artistic output is beyond excellent, & this is him at the top of his game.
