Track Listing

1. The Things I Do
2. What's This?!
3. In My Arms
4. Where to Go from Here
5. Don't Know What I Was Thinking
6. Can't Sing Straight
7. Slippery Slope
8. Jonathan's Book
9. One of These Days
10. Turning the Gun on Myself
11. A Piece of What You Need

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5916 in Music
• Brand: Thomson
• Released on: 2008-06-17
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .19 pounds

Album Description
"I think this album is my pop record but I'm not really sure because I'm not sure what that word means anymore." - Teddy Thompson

No matter how you classify it, Thompson's third release on Verve Forecast is a gem! Produced by Marius de Vries (Bjork, Madonna, Rufus Wainwright) Piece is a sonically brilliant recording of upbeat songs filled with Teddy's impassioned vocals and clever but heartfelt lyrics.

About the Artist
"This is a happy record," Teddy Thompson says of his new Verve Forecast release A Piece of What You Need. "Well, maybe not happy, but upbeat. Actually, maybe not upbeat, but it does have some up-tempo songs! Anyway, it's as close as I've gotten to making the record I've always wanted to make."

Indeed, happy or not, A Piece of What You Need - Thompson's fourth album overall and his third for Verve - is the London-born, New York-based artist's most ambitious and accomplished effort to date, showcasing his formidable vocal, songwriting and guitar talents while venturing into rewarding new musical and lyrical territory.

Thompson's trademark blend of catchy songcraft, pensive emotional insight and good-natured black humor is present on such new tunes as "In My Arms," "What's This?!!," "Don't Know What I Was Thinking" and the bittersweetly fatalistic "Turning the Gun On Myself." The album's effortless pop sensibility is matched by a playful sonic palette that incorporates such aural surprises as the careening brass band on "Can't Sing Straight" and "One of These Days," or the Hitchcockian orchestral rushes that haunt the cinematic "Jonathan's Book."

Although Thompson co-produced his last two albums Separate Ways and Up Close & Down Low, for A Piece of What You Need he made it a point to recruit an outside producer to help realize his expansive musical agenda. The man for the job was Marius de Vries, whose extensive production resume includes work with acts as diverse as Bjork, Madonna, David Gray and Rufus Wainwright.

"I knew that I wanted this one to be more adventurous, with strong, solid rhythm tracks and beautiful airy touches to support the songs," Thompson explains, adding, "Marius gets all the credit for that. He's taken the arrangements up a notch. There was nothing off-limits, nothing that was too weird or too difficult. I could tell him that I wanted something to sound like fairies dancing around a maypole, and he'd know what button to push to get that. We were able to add a lot more layers, without overshadowing the songs themselves."

Thompson, son of folk-rock legends Richard and Linda Thompson, developed his musical drive early in life and launched his first band while still in his early teens. By the time he released his self-titled solo debut in 2000, he'd served a stint in his father's touring band and contributed guitar and vocals to his dad's albums You? Me? Us? and Mock Tudor. He subsequently co-produced and played on his mother's 2002 comeback disc Fashionably Late, and toured as a member of Rosanne Cash's backing band.

After signing with Verve, he released his widely acclaimed 2006 sophomore album Separate Ways, which demonstrated how much his songwriting, performing and record-making skills had evolved since his debut. It was followed in 2007 by Up Front & Down Low, a collection of personally charged readings of classic American country songs that demonstrated Thompson's increased assurance as a performer and interpreter.

"My first record was made in two weeks, and I had no idea what I was doing," Thompson states. "Separate Ways was done over a long period of time in bits and pieces. And Upfront & Down Low was done quickly and was intentionally free-swinging and loose. With the new one, we put a lot of time and effort into it, but we made it pretty quickly, because we had a plan and did a lot of preparation and pre-production. Because of that, it feels more like a complete package to me.

"But it was stressful in other ways," he adds, 'because I went into making this record without having finished a lot of the songs, which is something I've never done before. I'd be out on tour, sitting in a hotel room in Canada, pulling my hair out and trying to think of a rhyme for antediluvian. In some cases the songs ended up taking a different shape because of that, and they developed in interesting ways that they wouldn't have otherwise."

A Piece of What You Need is a landmark for an artist whose creative restlessness continues to yield deeply compelling musical results. Thompson's sense of purpose - and sense of humor - are reflected in the song title that provides the album's name.

"The song was born from frustration with the state of music," he explains. "I liked it as an album title because I thought it sounded like an offering, like this record is a small bit of truth. For most people, it's gonna be an absolutely miniscule piece of what they need. But I'd like to think that I'm contributing some tiny little building block of something worthwhile, rather than just adding to the massive pile of disposable rubbish."

Customer Reviews

The rising star and his breakthrough.
Being the son of Richard and Linda Thompson, two of British music's most distinctive and original singers, it is hardly surprising that Teddy is equally vocally blessed.
Although, like his fellow folk spawn Martha and Rufus Wainwright, he is ploughing an increasingly interesting furrow away from his impressive heritage.
There was a tasteful collection of country covers less than a year ago, and now this album of originals that deserves to secure his breakthrough.
Picking up where 2006's Separate Ways, rather than last year's reworking of classic American country songs Up Front and Down Low, left off, it is a collection of thoughtful, catchy and ultimately satisfying songs, combining Orbison-inspired, uptempo melodies with smart, self-deprecating lyrics to addictive and moving effect.
There is smoky jazz on "Turning the Gun on Myself", toe-tapping country rock on the cinematic and lush "Jonathan's Book", whooshing Hammond organ on the catchy single "In My Arms" and bluesy guitar and squalling brass on overall standout "Can't Sing Straight".
Thompson's warm, rich voice is the lovely glue that binds it all together.
There are references to Thompson's wide-ranging influences, from mornings "bright as Rapper's Delight" through hopes to one day "walk the line".
Vocally he's a deeper, less flighty version of his mate Rufus Wainwright.
His style owes little to his parents, though, and "I Don't Know What I Want" boasts the delicious vocal traces of Crowded House's Neil Finn and Rufus Wainwright.
This is an outstandingly pretty record, beautifully performed, and sensitively produced by Marius De Vries.
While he self-produced his last two albums,he handed the duties over to Björk and Madonna producer, Marius de Vries - and it's the touches that Marius brings that push this album out of good and into great.
All tracks are written by Teddy and each song in its own way shows off his distinctive knack for blending classic songwriting with infectious melodies and the odd dash of black humor.
"My standards are slipping day by day/ I'll sleep with anyone who gets in my way," sings Teddy Thompson on this wry, heartfelt album that should finally see him earn the mainstream recognition he deserves. .
It's the best album of his career.
My highlights: "Don't Know What I Was Thinking", "In My Arms", "The Things I Do".

Sweet Warrior
Versatile Heart
Release the Stars
I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too

I love Teddy Thompson, but....
who had the brilliant idea of not including any lyrics or credits with the CD (you can access them on individual pages on his website) and leaving a 5 minute break before you 'discover' the hidden track. Why do record companies do that ? Why not just put a track marker in and call it a bonus track, as it is a real pain. Is it any wonder the music business is in trouble ?

That said, it is always a joy to get another album by Teddy, despite my grumblings. I just like to know who did what to who and when. After repeated listenings I have grown to love this album, somewhat more up-beat than his others. Teddy is an excellent and prolific songwriter, so it was a bit of a surprise when he released the album prior to this made up entirely of covers, plus one. The irony was that the only TT written track on that album Up Front and Down Low (Down Low, with Maria Mulduar's daughter Jenni singing background vocals) was the best track:)

As always I will look forward to his next release, hoping for lyrics and no 5 minute break at the end for a hidden track !

I love this album, except...
I really love Teddy Thompson. My discovery of him was through his contribution to the Brokeback Mountain soundtrack, and I've liked a lot of what he's done. This album is no different, except for a VERY IRRITATING feature... the hidden track. Don't get me wrong. I love the "hidden track" itself. What I actually really despise is the over ten minutes of dead air when playing the cd. I'd even be willing to purchase the two songs that make up track 11 separately if it were possible--but no, the bonus track is only available if you download the whole cd, which, one would assume, gives you the long track instead of the two independent tracks it should be. And it should have credits in the sleeve, especially since it's not the Earth-friendly packaging like Emmylou Harris' recent release!