Front Parlour Ballads

One of pop music's great underappreciated troubadours and guitarists, Thompson again delivers on "Front Parlour Ballads." His first disc in 14 years rooted in the acoustic guitar is also his first-ever acoustic disc with all originals. Thompson is a rare storyteller who sketches real-life characters (both rogues and innocents) and sings songs of romance and betrayal with a wink and a tear. The CD title is actually a misnomer because, though there are several ballads, Thompson also turns up the tempo heat on such tunes as opener "Let It Blow," an indelible melody about an ill-fated, short-lived marriage, and the shout-out "A Solitary Life," a buoyant observation of "life with small horizons." While lyrically his songs are top-drawer, Thompson's guitar prowess is also noteworthy, with acoustic ornamentation prominent on "How Does Your Garden Grow?" and electric spark energizing "My Soul, My Soul." —Dan Ouellette