Given the lullaby that Richard Thompson wrote to commemorate his son's birth ("There's nothing at the end of the rainbow/There's nothing to grow up for anymore"), Teddy Thompson turned out reasonably cheerful. True, when the British folk-rock legend's son sings "It's not so much that you left/It's that you didn't come back" on "A Step Behind", you can hear echoes of dad's droll delivery, melancholy modes and waltz-time signatures. But Teddy's voice is sweeter than his pop's, whether crooning on the Crowded House-like "Wake Up", harmonising with Rufus Wainwright on "So Easy" or even dropping allusions to letter bombs and freebasing on the wry "Thanks A Lot". With tasteful musical assistance from producer Joe Henry's band (as well as dad Richard), this eponymous debut is a low-key introduction to a rock offspring worth hearing. -- Bill Forman
Track Listing
Wake Up Love Her For That Brink Of Love So Easy All I See All We Said Step Behind Missing Children Thanks A Lot Days In The Park
