‘Still’ was recorded in a two/story rehearsal loft in Chicago over the
course of just nine days with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy at the helm, backed by
several longtime players from both Thompson's and Tweedy's bands. Thompson
enlisted Tweedy's production skills in an effort to shake up his own creative
approach to making records. “It turned out be really good idea,” says
Thompson. “Jeff is musically very sympathetic. Although some of his
contributions are probably rather subtle to the listener's ear, they were
really interesting and his suggestions were always very pertinent.”
The key to ‘Still’'s emotional resonance is a set of gripping new Thompson
compositions rich with his signature mix of trenchant insight, gallows humour,
and keen empathy for characters at the brink of being overcome by their
emotions, their pasts, or themselves.
A recipient of BBC's Lifetime Achievement Award and Mojo's Les Paul Award,
Richard Thompson was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the
2011 New Year Honours List. The Americana Music Association also recently
honoured him with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting. Robert Plant,
REM, Elvis Costello, Bonnie Raitt and many others have recorded
Thompson's songs.
Taken as a whole, ‘Still’ is a powerful dispatch from an acknowledged master
who remains unafraid to put himself into demanding new environments – its
title reflecting that resilience and seemingly endless resourcefulness.
“Or,” Thompson adds slyly, “it could be read as 'Is he still performing?
I thought he died years ago.”