Mock Tudor

Despite a body of work that marks him as one of the outstanding figures of British music over the past 30 years and high profile patronage from the likes of REM (who covered his song 'Wall of Death'), Richard Thompson continues to bathe in relative obscurity.

In truth it may well be something he has part engineered himself. At his brace of stunning shows last week in Dublin's HQ at the Irish Music Hall Of Fame, he refused to play the crowd-pleaser, totally ignoring acclaimed albums like Amnesia, (maybe he just forgot! - Ed) and Shoot Out The Lights in favour of new or more obscure material.

While his chart immunity persists, Thompson's muse grows ever darker. Taking its inspiration from his experiences growing up in the anonymous suburbs of North London, Mock Tudor is inhabited by a large cast of unlikely characters, including the 'Cooksferry Queen' ("she blew my mind and opened my eyes"), 'Sibella" ("salon hair and creases in your jeans") and 'Batsheeba Smiles' ("she air-kisses every victim twice").

With the band in full-flight and Thompson's guitar slashing about vehemently, he unleashes anger and recrimination by the truckload on songs such as 'Hard On Me', 'Two Faced Love' and 'Crawl Back (Under My Stone)'. Meanwhile, the exquisite, love-lorn ballad 'Dry My Tears And Move On' has Danny Thompson's stand-up bass pounding out like a broken heartbeat, accentuating the air of doomed resignation.

'The Sights And Sounds of London Town', a speeded-up folk tune in the style of his classic '1952 Vincent Black Lightning' offers a portrayal of the metropolis far removed form the tourist board image, and the nostalgic 'Walking The Long Miles Home' harks back to those days when the "rhythm in my shoes kept the blues away".

The album closes with two contrasting numbers that sum up his current mood of defiance: 'That's All Amen, Close The Door,' a soaring slow burner, and the stark, brooding and positively radio-unfriendly 'Hope You Like The New Me'.

Unlikely as it is to trouble the chart compilers, Mock Tudor is another uncompromising gem from one of British rock's great originals.