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Chris Thompson: For My Double

Singer/songwriter Chris Thompson is known mainly as a reasonably prolific folk/blues musician. 'For My Double' is a newly recorded set of songs that show Thompson exploring a wider range of musical styles. Thus we have three songs recorded with Tom Ludvigson on piano, Bob Shepheard on bass and the sax of Dave Spillane that veer towards the smoother, jazzier end of Van Morrison while a couple of tracks are vintage Thompson - all acoustic blues with plenty of slide guitar. Then there are the two "songs" that seem to be closely related to some of Tom Waits more deranged moments with their odd rhythms and strange sounds. The album moves towards the finish with a couple of electric blues/rock songs and then there's the last track, a vocal monologue that loses me after the first sentence. And therein lies the problem here. Too many of the lyrics rate high on the novelty scale (You're A Condom, I Like Belinda Carlisle) and in the process detract from the musicality of the album, whereas Thompson is at his best with the acoustic simplicity of the title track, something this album could have benefited from having more of.

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