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Ship to Shore (Richard Thompson album)

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Ship to Shore
A painting of Thompson with a gull on both of his shoulders
Studio album by
Richard Thompson
Released31 May 2024 (2024-05-31)
StudioApplehead Studio, Woodstock, New York, US
Genre
Length42:57
LanguageEnglish
LabelNew West
ProducerRichard Thompson
Richard Thompson chronology
13 Rivers
(2017) 		Ship to Shore
(2024)

I think we missed the vibe by 60 years. It's a bit touristy now, every other shop has a case of crystals. I wanted to get out of New Jersey because it was a bit dull. I didn't want to go back to the West Coast because New Jersey's so convenient for popping over to Europe. I thought of Woodstock, because there's a musical community up there. It's beautiful up there in the Catskills, really lovely. We visited the basement at Big Pink—there's an energy there, definitely, the sound molecules have altered the room somehow.

—Richard Thompson on living in Woodstock, New York, recording location of Ship to Shore[3]

Ship to Shore is a 2024 studio album by British folk rock musician Richard Thompson, released on New West Records. It has received positive reviews from critics. The album was launched with a band tour featuring Taras Prodaniuk on bass, Thompson's grandson Zak Hobbs on guitar and mandolin, Zara Phillips on vocals and acoustic guitar and Dave Mattacks on drums.[4][5][6][7] The album's title comes from ship-to-shore radio that Thompson listened to as a boy.[8]

Reception

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According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Ship to Shore received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 86 out of 100 from 6 critic scores.[9] Critical consensus is that this is one of the strongest albums in Thompson's career.[10]

Editors at AllMusic rated this album 4 out of 5 stars, with critic Timothy Monger writing that this serves as "almost a sequel to 2018's 13 Rivers... that plays like an amalgam of his career's disparate styles" and ended his review stating that Thompson "also remains a top-notch songsmith and vocalist makes him one of the rare triple-threats who consistently delivers".[11] At The Arts Desk, Tim Cumming rated this album a 4 out of 5 stars, stating that "no one puts misery to music as adeptly as Thompson" and that this release "is classic Thompson, the songster of misery and despair who doesn't often change that tune while always delivering something tasty, fresh and new".[12]

Steven Wine of the Associated Press praised the guitar solos in particular on this album, as well as Thompson's vocals and stated that this release "meets his consistently high standard while sounding like no one else".[13] Online retailer Bandcamp chose this as Album of the Day and Jon Dale wrote that Thompson is "excellent at detailing the everyday bleakness of life quietly lived, and Ship To Shore is full of moments where his songs' protagonists are left noiselessly hanging by a thread".[14] Classic Rock's John Aizlewood rated this album 4.5 out of 5 stars, characterizing it as Thompson's "most rumbustious album in years", featuring a "a supremely taut band".[15]

David Honigmann gave Ship to Shore 4 out of 5 stars, writing in the Financial Times that it "sounds like a greatest hits release" and praised the interplay between Thompson and guitarist Bobby Eichorn.[16] In Glide Magazine, Jim Hynes highlighted the shifts in genre between more traditional British folk and electric tracks and summed up that this is "as solid as any of his recordings".[1] Jim Wirth of Mojo rated the release 4 out of 5 stars stating that "it is a record about defeat, despair and humiliation delivered with an unsettling avuncular twinkle, and a lingering sense that the moments when his spring is wound at its tightest might also be the ones where Thompson feels the most alive".[2]

A musicOMH, Chris White scored this album 3.5 out of 5 stars, calling it "a remarkably fresh and vital sounding record, with Thompson's rich baritone voice undimmed by the years and a clutch of excellent songs, mostly characterised by his familiar themes of vulnerability, disappointment and loss".[17] In The Observer, Kitty Empire gave Ship to Shore 4 out of 5 stars with songs that "are never less than beautiful", even with bleak moods and dour lyrics.[18] Jon M. Gilbterson of The Shepherd Express wrote that this work "cocks an eyebrow at anyone who thinks the English singer, songwriter, and guitarist would rest solely on his reputation" and that it "as a whole demonstrates that the grind hasn't ground down his artistry".[19]

The track "Singapore Sadie" was released as the first single from the album.[20]

Year-end lists

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Select year-end rankings for Ship to Shore
Publication/critic Accolade Rank Ref.
MOJO 75 Best Albums of 2024 23 [21]
Rough Trade UK Albums of the Year 2024 79 [22]
Uncut 80 Best Albums of 2024 43 [23]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Richard Thompson.

  1. "Freeze" – 3:24
  2. "The Fear Never Leaves You" – 4:55
  3. "Singapore Sadie" – 4:08
  4. "Trust" – 4:16
  5. "The Day That I Give In" – 3:18
  6. "The Old Pack Mule" – 4:18
  7. "Turnstile Casanova" – 3:25
  8. "Lost in the Crowd" – 3:24
  9. "Maybe" – 4:00
  10. "Life's a Bloody Show" – 3:55
  11. "What's Left to Lose" – 4:14
  12. "We Roll" – 4:45

Personnel

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Additional musicians

Technical personnel

Charts

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Chart performance for Ship to Shore
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[24] 95
UK Albums (OCC)[25] 46

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Hynes, Jim (May 29, 2024). "Richard Thompson's 'Ship To Shore' Proves Fascinating Addition To Epic Catalog". Album Reviews. Glide Magazine. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Wirth, Jim (May 29, 2024). "Richard Thompson Ship To Shore Review: Fairport maestro sails once more for sadder shores". Mojo. ISSN 1351-0193. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  3. ^ Pinnock, Tom (April 6, 2024). "Still On The Ledge". Features. Uncut. ISSN 1368-0722. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  4. ^ Farmer, Paul (May 28, 2024). "Contempt for the warmongers". Gig Reviews. Morning Star. ISSN 0307-1758. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  5. ^ Lord, Christopher (May 29, 2024). "Richard Thompson review – a showcase for decades of exquisite craft". Music. The Guardian. ISSN 1756-3224. OCLC 60623878. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  6. ^ Griffith, Elfyn (May 30, 2024). "Richard Thompson: Bristol Beacon – Live Review". Music > Bands & Artists. Louder Than War. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  7. ^ Ross, Peter (May 20, 2024). "Richard Thompson review — a master of euphoric despair". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  8. ^ Himes, Geoffrey (June 7, 2024). "Richard Thompson Brings His Music Ashore". Music > Features > Richard Thompson. Paste. ISSN 1540-3106. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  9. ^ "Ship to Shore by Richard Thompson Reviews and Tracks – Metacritic". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. n.d. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  10. ^ Edwards, Clayton (May 31, 2024). "Richard Thompson Discusses His Stellar New Album 'Ship to Shore'". American Songwriter. ISSN 0896-8993. OCLC 17342741. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  11. ^ Monger, Timothy (n.d.). "Ship to Shore – Richard Thompson". AllMusic. RhythmOne. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  12. ^ Cumming, Tim (May 27, 2024). "Richard Thompson – Ship to Shore. Album review by Tim Cumming". Reviews, News, & Interviews. The Arts Desk. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  13. ^ Wine, Steven (May 31, 2024). "Music Review: British guitarist Richard Thompson's 'Ship to Shore' is a gem, with dazzling solos". Entertainment. Associated Press. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  14. ^ Dale, Jon (May 8, 2024). "Richard Thompson, 'Ship to Shore'". Album of the Day. Bandcamp. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  15. ^ Aizlewood, John (May 31, 2024). "Richard Thompson: Ship To Shore album review". Reviews > Classic Rock. Classic Rock. ISSN 1464-7834. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  16. ^ Honigmann, David (May 15, 2024). "Richard Thompson recalls his 1980s solo heyday on Ship to Shore". Financial Times. ISSN 0307-1766. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  17. ^ White, Chris (June 8, 2024). "Richard Thompson – Ship To Shore". Album Reviews. musicOMH. ISSN 2516-6220. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  18. ^ Empire, Kitty (May 31, 2024). "Richard Thompson: Ship to Shore review – another collection of beautifully gruelling material". Music. The Observer. Guardian Media Group. ISSN 0029-7712. OCLC 50230244. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  19. ^ Gilbertson, Jon M. (May 31, 2024). "'Ship to Shore' by Richard Thompson". Music / Album Reviews. The Shepherd Express. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  20. ^ McNamara, Gavin (May 28, 2024). "Richard Thompson - Ship to Shore, a review".
  21. ^ "MOJO's 75 Best Albums of 2024". albumoftheyear.org. November 11, 2024. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  22. ^ "Albums of the Year 2024". roughtrade.com. November 19, 2024. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  23. ^ Pearis, Bill (November 8, 2024). "List Season comes early with Uncut's Top 80 Albums of 2024". brooklynvegan.com. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  24. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Richard Thompson – Ship to Shore". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  25. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
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