The Beat Surrender

I said when I reviewed the recent Teddy Thompson single In My Arms that I was disappointed by it and hoped for a lot better from the album, well he’s come up trumps, i’ve listened to A Piece Of What You Need three times now and it’s getting better and better with every listen.

There is a real warmth to his musicianship throughout the album, which makes up for the often quite stark lyrics that are tempered with a degree of humour to lighten things up a little. Although i’ve often found a lot of his work quite melodic on the ear, it’s pleasing to hear him attempting a more bluesy approach to things on tracks like Don’t Know What I Was Thinking and Can’t Sing Straight.

For me it’s an album that has got stronger with every listen and maybe if I came back to it in a months time it might be getting more than three out of five, for now though it’ll have to settle for that.