Description
On his sixth solo outing, Thompson—son of Richard—creates near perfect slices of soulful, emotional pop, only one of which breaks the four minute threshold. In that sense, he picks up where he left off on 2011’s Bella. As this disc’s name implies, he’s since gotten his heart broken… again, a topic that has provided fodder for some of the finest music recorded.
Even though Thompson dismisses vocal comparisons to Roy Orbison (“I couldn’t even shine his shoes” he once said), there is a clear line drawn to the rock and roll hall of famer’s drama laden approach. And if not Roy, than perhaps Chris Isaak or Raul Malo would be apt links, especially on the bittersweet waltz time “Take Me Away” with its dream-like backing strings and melodramatic atmosphere. Thompson gets off to a peppy Motown inspired start with the opening “Why Wait” (the words “for you to break my heart” follow) featuring crispy horns, thumping drums and a hook that screams hit single. For those who, like Thomson, also yearn for the charmingly constructed sounds of classic singles which remain timeless slices of memorable music, and others wanting a taste of those songs in a contemporary setting, Heartbreaker Please finds Teddy Thompson nailing that elusive style with deceptive, impressive ease.
