First bunch of original songs from Teddy Thompson since his 2020 offering, Heartbreaker Please.  Never Be the Same is a collection of confessional songs – the perfect vehicle for that clear, emotional, voice of his.

A LONG TIME GONE

It’s been quite some time since we’ve had the chance to enjoy a bunch of new songs from Teddy ‘SonofRichard&Linda’ Thompson.  With his 2023 album, My Love of Country, Teddy took the opportunity to pay tribute to the country artists – Buck Owens, Hank Cochran, Cindy Walker et al – that have shaped his thinking since he was in Junior School.  It was excellent.  But Teddy Thompson is a top-notch songwriter in his own right (it’s a talent that kinda runs in the family) and we have to go right back to 2020 and his Heartbreaker Please album to find his last collection of original material.

The wait is over, brought to a grinding halt by Teddy’s new album.  Never Be the Same collects ten new songs that tug upon every emotional string you’re ever likely to own.  Confessional songs that explore the agonies and challenges of human relationship, whether those relationships are deep and meaningful or casual and fleeting.

EVERYTHING IS TEMPORARY

The title for the new album only revealed itself to Teddy after the recording was complete, as he explains: “It’s a phrase that, unconsciously, I used twice.  And, when I saw it on the page, I realized: this is the message of this album.  Don’t ever be the same.  Change. Grow!  Even when the sentiment is, ‘Woe is me, I’ll never recover after that love or loss.’  The message is still; change.  Don’t get too comfortable.  Everything is temporary, so evolve or perish.”

Despite the recent dearth of new material from the Teddy Thompson direction, Teddy’s long-standing commitment to songwriting is beyond question, and that commitment is at the core of Never Be the Same.  Indeed, the inspiration of Chuck Berry, Hank Williams, Crowded House, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, The Beatles and, of course, those parents of his, surfaces again and again throughout the album’s ten tracks.  As Teddy says: “Songwriting is magical.  You can hear one hundred people sing: ‘I love you,’ and you know which one is telling the truth.  If the root of the sentiment is authentic, it will resonate.” 

And sentimentality and sincerity are NOT in short supply on Never Be the Same.

PALE ROCK POOL EYES

The clear Teddy Thompson voice strikes home from the very first bars of Come Back, Teddy’s bittersweet plea for redemption with a departed lover, that opens the album.  The sound is confident and fully under control, with guitars and a solid drumbeat doing the bulk of the heavy lifting.  Teddy’s voice breaks into falsetto as he sings the song’s “Can you come back to me” payoff line. His pain is there, ready to be shared.

A sharp, almost punky, backing sits in stark contrast to Teddy’s melodic vocal for I Need Real (Love).  Again, Teddy’s lyrics: “I’m asking for intimacy, love and the ‘wow,’” explore the agonies and challenges of maintaining a relationship in a song that’s short, punchy, and straight to the point. 

Teddy’s favourite country influences are never too deep below the surface. They break on through for the first time with the poppy I Remember.  Teddy’s lyrics recall his London upbringing and, particularly, those “Pale rock pool eyes” of the “constant good” who was his biggest childhood motivator.

ONE OF THE YEAR’S GREAT SONGS

So This is Heartache, the album’s lead single, is described in the accompanying press release as: “A bruised waltz for the broken hearted.” This description pretty well nails it.  The clarity and sheer sweetness of the production is breathtaking as Teddy’s voice, once again, breaks into falsetto whenever the emotional burden reaches boiling point.  Which it does on a frequent basis throughout the song.  Swirls of organ and sweeps of brass provide added enrichment; it all amounts to one of this year’s great songs.

The country theme is back for Worst Two Weeks of My Life. This time, underwritten by background swoops of pedal steel.  Teddy’s lyrics reflect the low self-esteem of a recovering alcoholic, without lapsing too deeply into self-pity.

Readily acknowledged as “…the album’s tenderest moment,” Baby It’s You is a gentle, soaring ballad.  Teddy strums his acoustic guitar as he loads every ounce of emotion that he can summon into his vocal delivery.  Electric guitars reach for the heavens, whilst John Grant’s synths simmer smoothly in the background.  Then, by way of contrast, the chiming guitars and driving rhythm of the poppy, bouncy, Make Up Your Mind brings everything back to Earth.

NICK LOWE MEETS ROY ORBISON…

Teddy describes The Game, the second of two singles to precede Never Be the Same as: “The song is sort of Nick Lowe meets Roy Orbison – it’s quite stylized and retro.  Lyrically, I think of it as being quintessentially American, with its talk of jukeboxes and wedding bells chiming, almost like an Archiecomic.  On the other hand, I’ve had people tell me that it reminds them of Nick Lowe and songs from that period, which is an association I like.”  The Orbison comparison is evident, right from the song’s opening bars and – you know what – I reckon that The Big O might just be nodding his head in approval.

A powerful, rocky intro leads into the soulful balladry of Not What I Need, one of several album highlights.  Lyrically, Teddy corrects himself in the song’s opening statement: “You’re not what I need.  I’m sorry, but I should have told you weeks months ago.”  His voice is laced with sincere regret as he sings the words, whilst the churning guitars and the strident drumbeat signify a strong determination to move onward…

A SENSE OF CLOSURE

And, to close…  The acoustic backing: ukulele, flute and, later, soft strings, comes as something of surprise as the album is brought a conclusion by Same Old Story.  It’s an intimate, confessional song and, somehow, it provides a sense of closure that is entirely appropriate.  Never Be the Same is an album that, truly, has been worth waiting for.

Teddy Thompson will be touring Ireland and the UK during June, before returning to North America for further shows.  Full details of the tour can be found here.

Teddy Thompson: Website

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