Personnel: Richard Thompson (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, autoharp, hurdy-gurdy, mandolin, pennywhistle, accordion, harmonium, organ, hand claps); Alan V. Michaels, Joe Buck (violin); Sara Watkins (fiddle); Novi Ola (viola); Joe Sublett (tenor saxophone); Danny Thompson (acoustic bass); Taras Prodaniuk (electric bass); Michael Jerome (drums, percussion); Chris Kasych, Judith Owen, Simon Tassano (hand claps).

Audio Mixer: Simon Tassano.

Recording information: House Of Blues Studio, Encino, CA.

Photographer: Ron Slenzak.

Arriving in the wake of the folk-flavored, acoustic-based FRONT PARLOUR BALLADS, SWEET WARRIOR marks U.K. folk-rock hero Richard Thompson's valiant return to electric guitar fireworks. Shooting off the kind of rock-&-roll sparks that had been missing from his catalog since 1996's YOU? ME? US? Thompson reminds listeners of why he's remained one of the most revered guitar heroes of the post-Hendrix era.

SWEET WARRIOR is no self-indulgent riff-fest, though; it contains some of Thompson's most sharply written songs in years. Released amid the furor of the U.S. occupation of Iraq, "Dad's Gonna Kill Me" (the reference is a nickname for Baghdad) initially garnered the most attention, but it's in good company. The sinuous "Needle and Thread" harks back to '70s-vintage Thompson, and the rollicking "Bad Monkey" compares favorably with classic RT roof-raisers like "Valerie" or "Two Left Feet." Striking the perfect balance of biting fretwork and crafty lyricism, SWEET WARRIOR shows that 35 years into his solo career, the former Fairport Convention string wizard's trickbag is as vital as ever.

After being given his walking papers by Capitol Records in 2000, Richard Thompson has taken a modest approach to his subsequent studio releases, 2003's The Old Kit Bag (a purposefully spare trio set) and 2005's Front Parlour Ballads (an acoustic collection recorded in Thompson's home studio). But Thompson seems to have relaxed a bit with 2007's Sweet Warrior, which boasts a more expansive sound and ambitious reach than those two albums. Produced by Thompson with his longtime aide de camp Simon Tassano, Sweet Warrior more clearly recalls 1991's Rumor and Sigh than any of Thompson's other albums; it lacks the high gloss of Mitchell Froom's production on that disc, but the broad dynamic between upbeat and dour numbers and the thematic sweep of these 14 songs certainly suggest Thompson was thinking big while making this album, and it suits him. Thompson is able to play his traditional theme of romance on the rocks for laughs on this set with the witty "Needle and Thread" and the droll but pointed "Mr. Stupid," while the sax-infused "Bad Monkey" is downright rollicking and the ska-influenced offbeat of "Francesca" is slinky and sensual. At the same time, Thompson digs deep into more serious themes, especially on the striking "Dad's Gonna Kill Me," a tense first-person tale of a soldier on patrol in Iraq, and while a very different sort of combat frames "Guns Are the Tongues," its story of a dull-witted boy turned against his own interests is equally compelling; both songs show Thompson's narrative skill and gift for wordplay are as strong as ever. Producer Thompson gives guitarist Thompson just the right amount of room to show off his estimable skills on these sessions, and the core band -- bassists Danny Thompson and Taras Prodaniuk, drummer Michael Jerome, and rhythm guitarist Michael Hays -- is as strong and versatile as one could hope for. At 68 minutes, Sweet Warrior feels just a bit overstuffed, especially given the simplicity of its immediate predecessors, but there's a hefty portion of fine songs and masterful playing here, and no one who has ever succumbed to Richard Thompson's magic should pass this up. ~ Mark Deming

Spin (p.96) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he main attraction remains his bristling, zigzag guitar licks, which still astound nearly 40 years on."

Entertainment Weekly (p.69) - "[He] consistently imbues his compositions with lyrics and melodies that shimmer with humor and humanism..." -- Grade: A-

Uncut (p.102) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[H]e sounds more like a loner -- intense, precise, impervious to fashion -- than ever."

Down Beat (p.74) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "The album's strongest moments are, as usual for Thompson, about as good as rock music gets."

Dirty Linen (p.51) - "The album builds to a climax with two amazing rousing songs....There are full novels lurking in the narratives Thompson spins in just a few minutes."

No Depression (p.95) - "It's an unflinching, relentless performance through the barbed-wire guitar finale....As for the bittersweet fatalism of the breath-stopping 'Take Care The Road You Choose', it serves to remind that, for all the things Thompson does so well, nobody does this sort of balladry better."