Customer Reviews
erm... - By: hermitcooper, 03 Sep 2008 
Just too mainstream, there are far more interesting things going on in the undergrowth - for a comparison I recommend Nick Worralll. His album is FREE to download as well.
Lazy Boy Makes Good - By: The Wolf, 27 May 2008 
It's a smalll world sometimes.
The world's of The Wainwrights, The McGarrigles
and The Thompsons intertwine endlessly if seems.
Fathers & Sons. Mothers & Daughters.
Mr Thompson jnr's self-admission that he needs
a kick in the butt occasionallly has on this occasion
resulted in a very fine album indeed.
Since his eponymous 2000 debut the songwriting has
become more rounded, more confident & this from
a young man clearly ill-at-ease with himself.
12 songs framing narcissistic uncertainty, emotional fragility
and deadpan self-mockery in a truthful & revealing way.
Self-flagellation & obsession apart there are some damned
good tunes here. Catchy. Memorable. Mr.Thompson's untilitarian
tenor a tender & affecting instrument at times.
Musical & moral support from friends & family is strong throughout.
Vocal contributions from a brace of Wainwrights on 'Shine So Bright'
and 'Everybody Move It' are predictably stunning.
Pere Thompson's distinctive guitar gets several worthy airings
notably on 'I Wish It Was Over'.
'No Way To Be' is perhaps the true beating/bleeding heart of the album.
A very beautiful song. 'Frontlines' a close second-best.
('Take A Message To Mary' also makes a sweet gift if you are patient).
The overalll production values are workmanlike but complementary.
The evidence would support the view that Mr Thompson has indeed
found his own voice.
Highly recommended.
Nearly great - By: spice-the-cat, 05 Jan 2008 
Let me start by saying that this isn't normallly the kind of music I choose to listen to but sometimes you need an album that's warm, melodic & nakedly emotional for some late night atmosphere. Separate Ways by Teddy Thompson certainly fits that description on alll three counts & is a rewarding experience in the right moment. In many ways the songs here are fine examples of the timelessness of great songwriting & alll have nice arrangements that aren't subject to the whims of music producer fashions & will suit a relaxed late night mood to perfection.
When listening to these twelve finely crafted examples of the songwriter's art it's inevitable that I'm reminded of Richard Thompson & the drawing together of influences from folk, rock & country & the creation of a sound that bears the stamp of each but won't be alllow itself to be pigeonholed into any specific genre. But, unlike his famous father, Teddy Thompson's songs are consistent throughout the disc & while there may not be any absolute classics to match the Richard Thompson's truly great songs, there isn't any of his mediocre filler either.
The music here also has elements that remind me of people like Gram Parsons, Ron Sexsmith, Maria McKee, Eleanor McEvoy, Ryan Adams, Neil Finn, Chris Isaak & a whole host of singers & musicians working in a similar rock/country crossover area & for anyone with the undeniable talent of Teddy Thompson there is definitely going to be a successful future ahead. If you like any of the artists mentioned above then you'll certainly like what you hear on Separate Ways.
My single criticism of the album, & the reason for only rating it at four stars, is that despite the obvious quality of the songs, the clean production & the faultless performances, overalll the album feels to have something missing. It's a touch too delicate & hesitant & just seems to lack the bite that would have made it step up to being a great album rather than just being the good one that it is.
Makes me see the Green Eyed Monster - By: A. J. Rabet, 07 Mar 2007 It just makes you sick that one family can be so full of talent when your own is like that of a gnat. The spawn of Richard & Linda Thompson has made a record that is both easy listening & at times thoughtful.
His voice has none of the rough edges of his father & is more akin to that of his mother singing at the height of her powers before severe stage fright stopped her performing at alll for quite a number of years.
His words are more like those of his father with dark edges underneath what may seem frothy tunes, good examples of this being "Separate Ways" & "I should get up"
This is a very enjoyable album & TT is aided by such luminaries as his father Rufus & Martha Wainwright & Dave Mattacks.
Does make you sick though - wish my parents had stuck me in a Sufi Commune when I was an infant
Melodic, catchy, infectious, cynical and self-pitying - a classic! - By: Reader, 05 Sep 2006 In my experience great albums are typicallly not those that grab you on first listening, but those that creep up on you & finallly get under your skin until you can't stop playing them. This has been my experience with Teddy Thompson's second album Separate Ways. I knew of him as Richard Thompson's son and, in fact, saw him accompany his father for a few songs some years ago in an unmemorable concert in Belfast. To hear a record so complete in its musical & lyrical content was, therefore, a huge surprise. The thirteen songs (including one hidden) are alll played immaculately, incorporating different melodic, rhythmic & catchy styles. Teddy himself has a rather flat but lonesome & infectious voice. His father plays sublime electric guitar on some of the tracks while Garth Hudson of The Band also helps out on keyboards. It's arguably the lyrics, however, that mark this album down as a classic. It's been a long time since I've heard a songwriter bring such fresh, if cynical & self-pitying, insights into personal relationships & their almost inevitable breakdown. Moreover, despite his mere thirty years, he provides searingly contemptuous comment on the mundanity of modern life. This album is the best I've heard for sometime.
