Randy Thompson - Collected

15 tracks here. 12 songs taken from the last 3 top 40 Americana albums plus 3 new songs. This is a great overview released in Jan 2012. Collected reached 15 on the Euro-Americana chart and top 20 on the Far chart, Roots music report, and Route 66 charts. 'Collected' Reviews 2012 Randy Thompson The CD has been spinning all morning. My conclusion: "What a wonderful CD!!!! Fine lyrics, great voice, fine musicians, great arrangements, well produced !!!! 'Martin van der Laan' Country Stew Radio Show, The NEATHERLANDS the CD is killer.;I already listened to it at least 10 times in 24h !...the selection of songs is more than perfect ..it shows the incredible talent of this master of melodies...each song is a musical gem ...Randy's ability to write killing melodies reminds me John Fogerty's ...they are just a few able to do that...vocally, instrumentally it kills you...my enthusiasm is beyond words...so merci for Randy's music .It made my day believe me... Mike Penard-ISO Radio-France Randy Thompson's latest CD, no matter what style of music you like this is one CD that in my opinion should be in any music fan's collection. I can't stop playing it, the more I hear it the more I keep playing it, lol. If you like Steve Earle, Joe Ely kind of outlaw country that can rock as good as any rock'n'roller then Randy is your new man on the block as far as quality songwriting. Great vocals and musicianship goes. Chris R Jackson-Americana International-UK RANDY THOMPSON/Collected: A roots rocker that's no stranger to the road and the roadhouse, he might be a guitar slinging singer/songwriter at heart, but this distillation of his last 15 years shows he knows how to amp it up. A collection of fan favorites, don't tell me people don't know what they like because this plays like a cohesive statement as opposed to a stew pot of moments. A very direct writer that knows how to stop and appreciate Utah Phillips and Steve Gillette as well, if you want something off the beaten path that you can venture into fearlessly, this set has some shrink wrap waiting for you to crack open. Check it out. Midwest Record-Entertainment & Reviews "We love his music down under" Eddie White-Cosmic Cowboy Café 88.5-Australia "... amazing songs... always true, always powerful." Planet Country, Remo Ricaldone, Italy "This album is 100% perfect !" The Country Startpage " This is robust roots rock, delivered with heart and muscle. Thompson has distinctive and compelling voice that is tinged with experience and regret. Behind that voice these songs are delivered with a conviction and forcefullness... The sound is one that cuts through and stays in the mind.... it is well-performed music that sits left of the mainstream. Americana delivered with a rockin' punch that still has it's place today." Lonesome Highway Record of the week - Randy plays rocking country music of the highest quality. Imagine someone who combines the best qualities of Joe Ely and Steve Earle (in his original country outlaw guise) and you've pretty much got the sound that Randy Thompson makes. Really good songs with a strong propensity to tell a tale, cracking tunes and a real verve in the performance that just snatches you up and carries you along for an exhilarating ride.. Time and again there's a real drive and pace in the music that just feels like the tune's been grabbed by the scruff of the neck and the band have run with it. When Randy Thompson's voice comes in, it's just right for the music, strong and authoritative but with an emotional strength as well that's compelling. There are other bands making modern country music as satisfying as this - but there aren't many.... guaranteed to put a smile on your face. There's strength in every aspect of these songs and he has a way of making large statements with his music that gives it a larger-than-life, almost myth-making scale; personally, I can't resist a bit of that and I certainly think fans of artists like Joe Ely and Steve Earle are going to love discovering Randy Thompson. Flyinshoes Reviews-John Davy-Scotland ***½ (out of 4 stars) "every once in awhile an album comes along that more clearly defines the genre (Americana) by it's very expert example. Such an album is singer/songwriter Randy Thompson's Collected. It is a finely-etched cross pollination of the sounds that express the rural experience; the love, the pain, the hope, the fear and the sheer survivability of it all. It is a CD that those with expansive musical tastes will love. This is roadhouse music at it's best...will make you want to roll down the windows and crank up the CD player on your next road trip. The songs are full of authenticity and inspiration, with superb guitar work clearing the path for Thompson's cool, confident vocals. Parcbench-Greg Victor Randy Thompson has made it a point to paint outside of the lines musically. There's some Country, Americana, and a pinch of Roots Rock to be heard all over his latest collection. While the style varies, one constant throughout the album is his rough and lived-in voice.... has already started to make a worldwide impact.... he combines all of the musical styles that influences him.... The stunning closing track "Bring On Down The Rain," shows his grittier side to great effect. As always, Thompson outdid himself here. Music News Nashville- Chuck Dauphnin ****1/2 out of 5. "All I can say is that real authentic country-rock is alive and well and lives on in this guy's music. If there is one thing Randy Thompson and his superb band can do is rock the house down. There are some fine originals here....This is a cracking album." Country Music People Magazine-Simon Aston Whoa, this one kicks into high gear right from the opening chords! Here and in Europe, he's been noted as a 'touring powerhouse' and 'compelling performer'. No argument from me on that. Collected, though, contains a good deal more than hi-energy country folk rock, as Randy knows his way around a ballad as well. There's a bit of John Fogerty to Thompson. He has the same power, guts, straightforwardness, and roots-rock composing head while easing back on Fogerty's unique intensity. There's also some Jesse Colin Young in the folkier aspects, but with a much heavier backroads twang as well as a throatier and firmer singing voice, with the son-of-the-sod factor more a Hoyt Axton or John Prine. FAME-Folk and Acoustic Music Exchange-Mark S. Tucker " A strong roots-rocking Americana set. " Record Riot-Joe Sixpack The songs have style and more importantly, quality. The roaring rocking sound, combined with his warm voice plus the arsenal of skilled musicians. An excellent hour of listening pleasure... especially on the highway.... The momentum will hold you. Raw, honest, no nonsense album with lyrics about hard life lessons. Real Roots Café-Huub Thomassen-The Neatherlands a musician of note.... sophisticated and very listenable country and roots music. The music finds him exploring his heritage as rock and country fuse together into a unique American sound. His incisive lyrics tell stories of the land and of his experience as he sings of war, peace, love, and fears of life. Above all, the music is simple, beautiful, and always truthful. The songs are all fine examples of his picturesque, cinematic style and storytelling ability. BlogCritics.org-David Bowling "He is one of a few country singer/guitarists to avoid the pitfalls a commercial and formatted Nashville. He has a clarity of musical vision. This album is a mission accomplished." Guitarist Magazine- Roman Decoret-France 'This is the most gut kicking country album I have heard in a long, long, long time." Ernie Hopseker -Ocean Beach Radio " Songbird is one of the finest country songs ever written. It is country, but he does not hesitate on occasion (and when you are really country you can do this) to flirt with folk and americana. It's country, because he knows how to tell a story. An excellent guitarist, Randy is also an exceptional songwriter recognized and acknowledged as such. He talks about life, love, death, the sound of rain, and in so doing, he speaks simply of simple things that, under his pen, become extraordinary. But this is not a single man. Listen, for example, Rocksalt and Nails: if you do not have goose bumps, then your heart is withered. This is everything we love" Music Box-Alain Sanders-France REAL country music, the kind you used to hear before Nashville turned the genre into a faux-pop-fest. Thompson has a distinctive, authentic voice and the guitar work on this album rocks like Gram Parsons might sound these days had he lived, and his lyrics have a Kris Kristofferson-like touch to them. There is no better word to describe this man's music than AUTHENTIC. Opening cut "Songbird" immediatly establishes him as a guy cut from different cloth. The jumpy "Twang This," finds him utilizing all of his God-given vocal abilities to their fullest, is a hilarious ode to those nasty Nashville music biz bigwigs with scorching guitar solos. A powerful, super-memorable album that may not get the attention old-school Nashville would've given it, but through fan support and decent PR, hopefully Randy Thompson will be a name everyone knows. A must have. Round The Dial Magazine- Tom Hallett Randy Thompson writes and performs authentic country music that leaves all the poseurs in the dust. His voice, songwriting, and a bunch of top-tier sidemen make Collected a strong must-have album for roots country fans. 9 out of 10 Audiophile This guy gets it. From the ominous opening guitar licks straight through the baritone vocals unleashing more sawdust and black powder than you've heard in a long damned time. He's a damned good musician. This is one of the best kinds of Southern records. Anyone who's been around Dixie for any extended period is well aware of what a quiet and steadfast resoluteness is all about. That spirit infuses this record from start to finish, lowest moments to high water marks of defiance. From a pure listening perspective, this album is as good as any you've heard in a long, long time. Here are fantastic melodies and harmonies that'll melt your soul. The sort of perfectly mixed studio work which, rather than make all the parts a single glossy whole, instead highlights each magnificent audio track while somehow bringing all the components together. This one gets it right, top to bottom. Sounds as good in the truck chewing up highway as it does out on the back porch in the middle of the night with a cigar during a long conversation with Orion. He's an absolute joy to listen to, even when his lyrics are challenging and incisive. Thompson will set you back on your heels, but he's also got a hand out to help you up when you've blown straight past the heels and landed on your ass. Music for people who want to live life, and refuse to let life live them. That's what this is. An understated anthem for the best inside us, even when the world's trials are getting the best of us. Outlaw Magazine- Dave Pilot 5 STARS The very first song reaches out and grabs you. Randy Thompson is a powerhouse of a singer - his confidence oozes with every song and one gets the feeling he was born singing! This is a kickin' CD with music that moves the soul, the feet, toes, fingers - it moves and really turns up the volume on music! Calamity Annie, CMTT Music Contributor 4 Stars. Randy Thompson has a knack for carving songs out of the air of life's experiences and telling tales in a way that makes you feel immediately familiar. His music is as much a part of the land as the man. A top drawer songwriter and 'Collected will act as a first stop milestone in his career. The Alternate Root Magazine "Every so often an album comes out of nowhere and it's so good it just whups you smack in the face. It's a wonderful thing and it's happening to me as I keep listening to Randy Thompson's' new one.....cuts and slices the stuff Nashville's been issuing into little tiny slices. John Lomax III- Nashville Ramblings- Australia If the music is playing in the background and you're not paying much attention, you might mistake Randy Thompson, who revels in rock rhythms and loud electric guitars, for just another generic current Nashville act. Start to pay him heed, and that impression quickly dissipates. Thompson is an original, and those modern arrangements are tethered to a keen awareness not only of traditional country but of it's older folk background. On Collected, Thompson makes clear he is both an exceptionally fine songwriter and an inspired interpreter of old-time ballads which he sets in roaring contemporary arrangements. The more you listen, the less Thompson sounds like a Nashville artist at all. His compositions are melodic and convincing, confessional songwriting at it's most compelling. There is not a weak cut to be found. If you're wondering what 21st-century country music should be like, look no farther. Jerome Clark-Rambles.Net Randy's music is what I would call, modern, Outlaw country at it's very best! Randy himself is resistant to pigeonholes but call it Country, call it Roots music, call it Americana; in the end it's the sound of Randy Thompson and 'Collected' is a fine introduction to someone who has quickly become one of my very favourite artist's on the scene. Randy Thompson really is, 'the real deal'!! Metro Country -UK I have always maintained that some of the finest talent on the planet works outside the mainstream. Such is the case with Randy Thompson. Thompson weaves a brilliant tapestry that blends all of the various elements of Americana and road house music. This is singer songwriter artistry to the max. Thompson pays respect to the musical roots of his Virginia home, while actively updating the sound to 21st century Randy Thompson's music is just great. He is a truly compelling performer who defies categories. It's country. It's Americana. But it is also neither. It is something new. Something fresh. Like a ride through the Virginia countryside on a cool spring evening. Something to savor. Michael Buffalo Smith- Universal Music Tribe In too many circles, it's become unnervingly fashionable to complain about anything and everything American. Every now and then it's nice to be reminded of the virtuous absolutes that make up the unmistakably, irreducible bright spots of Americana. Randy Thompson's Collected represents one those welcomed indigenous absolutes; undeniably and unapologetically, American Country music. Collected is an impressive snapshot of not only Randy Thompson's discography, but of true American country music, itself. Not unlike the pioneers that once graced his Virginia home, Randy weaves a rich sonic tapestry of front porch Americana. Informed by the historically-dense Virginian landscape Thompson calls home, palatable and relatable stories of American loss and love, work and play, and pain and joy reside on this CD with a weathered determination, delivered by a voice that's one in the same. Collected is a must-have album. Innocent Words Magazine-John Castin-UK 'Randy proves to be a writer of powerful imagery, and a high caliber musician to boot, A master storyteller" R2 Magazine-UK "it's wonderful to hear songs with unpretentious lyrics and catchy hooks played so brilliantly. Country rock is alive and well. Takes me back to a time when classic was classic. Country Music Capital News "Though Thompson's veins flow with blood from all over Europe, his musical style is anything but detached. Who does not know that feeling of the setting sun as a fireball above the horizon, the prospect of endless space, the smell of grass and the taste of the wood of a camp fire. This is the feeling the audience experienced at his concert....he brings raw and real American music to Switzerland." Az Limmattaler Newspaper (Schlieren, Switzerland) Marco Mordasini 7/2012.

1) Songbird
2) Unknown Zone
3) Don't You Remember
4) Goin' Down to Lynchburg Town
5) Heart of Stone
6) Ol' 97
7) Rocksalt ; Nails
8) You Can't Talk to Me Like That
9) Twang This
10) That's Not Me
11) One Guitar
12) Wearin' Blue
13) Sound of the Rain
14) Molly ; Tenbrooks
15) Bring on Down the Rain