Ship to Shore

It’s been a fair few years since Thompson’s previous set, 2018’s excellent 13 Rivers. Here it’s more a case of sailing the seven seas, as Ship to Shore casts off into the troubled waters of the human condition with his regular trio of drummer Michael Jerome, bassist Taras Prodaniuk and guitarist Bobby Eichorn, joined by David Mansfield, veteran fiddler of Dylan’s Rolling Thunder years, and Zara Phillips on harmony vocals. The angular, midtempo ‘Freeze’ sets off the voyage, though it’s no bonny adventure, more heading for the mincer. ‘Another day without a dream, without a hope, without a scheme.’ ‘The Fear Never Leaves You’ is torn from the same kind of cloth from which his more dystopian songs hang, spare in its musical parts, but tightly packed lyrically. ‘Singapore Sadie’ is a vivid character song, Mansfield’s fiddle drawing back and forth, and trading solos with Thompson’s limpid lead guitar. ‘Maybe’ is a strong, lean rocker, while the brilliant closing trio – the reflective ‘Life’s a Bloody Show’, the ballad-like ‘What’s Left to Lose’, with Phillips on harmony vocals, and the valedictory, Mansfield-drenched ‘We Roll’ – point the prow to deeper seas and adventures new. This ancient mariner’s voyage is far from over yet.