Family (Thompson album)
| Family | |
|---|---|
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|
| Studio album by Thompson | |
| Released | 17 November 2014 |
| Recorded | 2012–2014, The Stable, Grand Street Recording, Famous Times Recording, Chez Cellum, The Velveteen Laboratory, Wombat Recording Company, Bonadonna, Trellis Sound |
| Genre | Folk rock |
| Length | 41:06 |
| Label | Fantasy Records, Concord Music |
| Producer | Teddy Thompson |
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 75/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    |
| Consequence of Sound | C |
| The Daily Telegraph | |
| The Guardian | |
| Mojo | |
| The Observer | |
| Q | |
| Record Collector | |
| Uncut | 7/10 |
Family is the debut studio album by folk rock family ensemble Thompson. It was released by Fantasy Records, part of Concord Music, on 17 November 2014.
Family was conceived by Teddy Thompson when, after he lost his recording contract with Verve Records and came to the end of a serious relationship, he approached his musical family members to contribute to an all-Thompson album. Teddy Thompson states: "I had some kind of mid-life crisis early and was having a real hard time with personal stuff...so I decided to make this record", stating further that "family is really important, and I've missed them". He told Uncut: "I came up with this project to get everyone back together. I was really trying to heal some wounds for myself, but I dragged everyone along with me", stating elsewhere that one of the rules for the album were that "every instrument must be played by a family member".
According to New Yorker magazine, the Thompson family "rival the Wainwright-McGarrigle-Roche clan when it comes to multigenerational musical talent". The musicians involved on this album span three generations and include Teddy Thompson's long separated parents Richard and Linda Thompson, his sister Kami Thompson and her husband James Walbourne (also her band mate in The Rails) as well as nephew Zak Thompson and half-brother Jack Thompson (son of Richard Thompson from his second marriage). The band is completed with assistance from Walbourne's brother Rob on drums and Teddy Thompson's eldest sister Muna Mascalo, who is not a musician, on backing vocals.
The various musicians contributed a song or two each as well as playing on each other's material. According to Richard Thompson, the contributions took "two to three years" to compile, with everyone writing their own material and sending files to each other. The album was then worked on throughout 2013 by Teddy Thompson and completed with studio sessions in London and New York afterwards with all the participating family members in attendance.
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