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Richard Thompson (Page 2)

More than that, and more to the point, it's an offering to listeners who appreciate music that's rich on substance and stripped of glitz. Kit Bag opens like a pocketbook filled with gems: images of innocence lost among tombstones on "Gethsemane," of distant love remembered on "A Love You Can't Survive," and demons unleashed by ignorance on "Outside of the Inside," and lyrics -- "war whoops and secrets under the trees, estuary smells coming up on the breeze, perfect, endless days like these" -- that glitter and spill like diamonds over velvet.

Taken as a whole, Kit Bag is a jumble of brilliant bits written over these past two years. When asked if a central theme ties them all together, Thompson seems nonplussed. "Um … no," he admits. Then, helpful gentleman that he is, he adds, "I suppose the title is a theme of sorts. It's a reference to the old World War I song, 'Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag,' which is about smiling and whistling a happy tune as the Germans rain shells down on you."

Admittedly, this is a stretch. But there is a musical continuity to Kit Bag, in the eloquent interplay between Thompson's vocals and string parts, the acoustic bass lines of Danny Thompson, and the drumming of Michael Jerome. (Singer Judith Owen, who guested on Thompson's previous album, Mock Tudor, contributes backup harmonies on several tracks.) "The idea was to keep it small," Thompson explains. "I did do a few overdubs -- second guitar, dulcimer, single-finger keyboard parts, all the easy stuff -- but other than that, everything was pretty much a live performance."

The result is an intimate, smoky quality from which each story slowly unfolds. Producer John Chelew (John Hiatt, Five Blind Boys of Alabama), a master of bringing out the narrative in excellent songs, found the balance between clarity and atmosphere on these tracks, making Kit Bag a standout even in Thompson's imposing discography.

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