Kami Thompson steps out in front on the latest preview song from the forthcoming album by Thompson, the family band led by Richard Thompson and Linda Thompson, and featuring Kami’s brother Teddy, among many others.
Richard’s guitar hurtles the song along, but Kami’s country-pop attitude has its own distinct flavors, far removed — at least on the surface — from dear old dad’s. Teddy joins on the sky-blue harmonies, and “Careful” has transported us to an entirely new place. At least, momentarily. Then there’s that slight burr in Kami Thompson’s voice, and a few suitably Thompson-esque twists in the lyric — and you realize there’s a reason this album is titled Family.
Careful listeners of the various albums in the heritary tree depicted above will remember Kami’s conttributions to Linda’s Fashionable Late in 2002 and Versatile Heart in 2007. She also released a solo project in 2011. Teddy, like his sister, is a solo artist and has also worked on his parents recordings. Richard and Linda, of course, recorded a total of six collaborative albums over roughly a decade beginning in 1973.
Never, however, have they all worked together as they do here. They’ve even invited a slew of other relatives along, including nephew Zak Hobbs and Jack Thompson, a half brother. Everyone composed songs for Family, including Kami Thompson’s “Careful” — co-written with her guitar-playing husband James Walbourne, of Pretenders fame. The album is due on November 18, 2014, via Fantasy Records and the Concord Music Group.
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