ShareTeddy Thompson and Kelly Jones performing their Little Windows tour at The Glee Club on Sunday 15th May 2016
Images and Review by Kevin Cooper
The son of English folk rock trailblazers, Richard and Linda Thompson he may well be, but Teddy Thompson is very much a celebrated artist in his own right. A clutch of critically acclaimed, though commercially neglected solo albums are a firm testament to that fact.
Adding Kelly Jones to the mix, a Washington born, Los Angeles based countrified singer songwriter with five albums to her name, it made for an entertaining evening at The Glee Club last night.
First up was Sunny Ozwell, whose debut album, Take It With Me, was showcased with the backing of a very talented four piece band. New tracks Family Tree and Git Gone were well received but it was her covers which had the audience clapping along. Numbers like Randy Newman’s Louisiana and Ray Charles’ Come Back Baby brought the place alive before she was joined on stage by Thompson to finish her set with a rousing Can’t Help It.
In that same top league occupied by the Alison Krauss and Robert Plant partnership, Thompson and Kelly presented mainly their own songs from their first album together, Little Windows, in perfect, all-encompassing harmonies which afforded us an intimate sharing of relationships, heartbreaks and life.
Sometimes dueting together, occasionally solo and sometimes backed by Ozwell’s four piece band, their mix of country, folk, rock, alt-country and pleasant personal musings between songs made for a riveting night out.
Thompson opened with his own tracks, Tonight Will Be Fine and I Wish It Was Over. Separate Ways was very compelling before he was joined on stage by Kelly to deliver the first song of the evening to be taken from the new album. The subliminal Only Fooling, illustrated just how well their voices complemented each other.
Thompson took the lead on Never Knew You Loved Me Too, that had his trademark descending guitar runs, whist Jones stepped up front for a fabulous Make A Wish On Me. There was the soul influenced Better At Lying, the waltzing Don’t Remind Me and the soft country You Took My Future.
Finishing their set with I Thought That We Said Goodbye, their music had taken us all back to a more simpler and far more innocent time. Their collaborative craft is that of strong, unadorned song writing, and last night those beautifully arranged songs were played with unquestionable precision.
