Richard Thompson Preps New Album, ’13 Rivers’

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Singer-songwriter-guitarist Richard Thompson will release 13 Rivers on Sept. 14. A return to New West Records, the 13-song set is the Grammy-nominated artist’s first self-produced album in over a decade and was recorded 100 percent analog in just 10 days. It was engineered by Clay Blair and features Thompson’s regular accompanists Michael Jerome (drums, percussion), Taras Prodaniuk (bass) and Bobby Eichorn (guitar).

13 Rivers is described in a press release as “a bare-bones, emotionally direct album that speaks from the heart with no filters.” Thompson says, “There are 13 songs on the record, and each one is like a river. Some flow faster than others. Some follow a slow and winding current. They all culminate on this one body of work.” 13 Rivers was recorded at the Boulevard Recording Studio in Los Angeles.

Of the album, Thompson, a founding member ofd folk-rock greats Fairport Convention, says, “The songs are a surprise in a good way. They came to me as a surprise in a dark time. They reflected my emotions in an oblique manner that I’ll never truly understand. It’s as if they’d been channeled from somewhere else. You find deeper meaning in the best records as time goes on. The reward comes later.” He continues, “I don’t know how the creative process works. I suppose it is some kind of bizarre parallel existence to my own life. I often look at a finished song and wonder what the hell is going on inside me. We sequenced the weird stuff at the front of the record, and the tracks to grind your soul into submission at the back.”

Listen to “Bones of Gilead” from 13 Rivers

13 Rivers will be available across digital platforms, compact disc, vinyl, as well as limited edition split cream and black colored vinyl available at independent retailers. 13 Rivers is available for pre-order now at the link below.

Track List
1. The Storm Won’t Come
2. The Rattle Within
3. Her Love Was Meant For Me
4. Bones Of Gilead
5. The Dog In You
6. Trying
7. Do All These Tears Belong To You?
8. My Rock, My Rope
9. You Can’t Reach Me
10. O Cinderella
11. No Matter
12. Pride
13. Shaking The Gates