EARLIER this week, the Mercury Music Prize short list was announced in Britain. Among the many names absent was that of Richard Thompson, which prompted one of the judges, critic David Sinclair, to comment. "Quite what this prodigiously talented man must do to get into the final 10 remains one of the eternal mysteries of the prize".
It is a refrain which has been heard loud and long. As Secret Affair, the title of the recent biography by Patrick Humphries indicates, the remarkable talents of this British singer/songwriter/ guitarist unfortunately remain the preserve of a discriminating few. Too few for Thompson, who long ago deserted the idea of achieving the material success he clearly deserves.
Yet though sales have been consistently disappointing since he launched his solo career over 20 years ago with his then wife Linda Thompson, critics have never lost their affection for his bleakly funny, rich tapestry of musical styles and influences.
His latest album, you? me? us? (Capitol) is a case in point. Another accomplished blend of electric and acoustic tunes, it was greeted with the usual critical rapture and dismal sales. As Humphries points out in his readable biography, this is par for the course. Record companies tend to treat Thompson as the luxury they can afford. He is a class act who adds lustre to the label but little cash.
And he is exceptional. Since his early days as guitarist with Fairport Convention, Thompson has accumulated an awesome back catalogue. At times the influence of his adopted Muslim faith is clear in the starkness of the lyrics, but the overriding drive in his music has been his ability to assimilate styles as diverse as Cajun and English morris dance music and make them his own. His guitar style fluent, elegant and distinctive marks him out as one of the finest players of his generation, while his voice, arguably the weakest of his gifts, has grown in assurance into a dark menacing instrument.
THOUGH Thompson wallows in the bleaker side of life and love, his live shows are peppered with irony and subtle comments, as well as breathtaking musicianship. And, though he is about 30 years on the go, a Richard Thompson performance remains a rare and exhilarating experience.