Record Reviews

Richard Thompson

Album: “Acoustic Rarities”

Grade: B

Richard Thompson’s “Acoustic Rarities” complements the Englishman’s two volumes of “Acoustic Classics,” one from 2014 and the second released just months ago.

The album is a high-quality potpourri of new recordings representing diverse facets of his career, including solo albums, songs covered first by other artists as well as his work with folk-rock pioneers Fairport Convention and ex-wife Linda Thompson.

As with Bob Dylan’s Bootleg Series, there’s recurring disbelief that songs like the six compositions debuted here were unreleased for so long. Among these are “They Tore the Hippodrome Down,” an elderly gentleman’s melancholy journey through a neighborhood that’s changed at least as much as his circumstances, and “I Must Have a March,” a “Threepenny Opera”-style demand by a cabaret performer who hopefully has seen better days.

Mods and rockers would probably both claim “Push and Shove,” where Thompson fires off some Pete Townshend strums in mid-’60s mode. Stripped to their essence, the tunes share Thompson’s dazzling guitar and his finely aged baritone vocals. Thompson has been a fountainhead of brilliant songwriting for decades and the exquisite tunes on “Acoustic Rarities” make you yearn for much more.

—Pablo Gorondi, Associated Press

JD McPherson

Album: “Undivided Heart & Soul”

Grade: B

JD McPherson writes and performs songs steeped in the sounds of classic rock and roll, updated with thrilling sonic details that place his third album, “Undivided Heart & Soul,” firmly in the now. McPherson, who received much critical acclaim for his first two records, expands those albums’ molds instead of breaking them and each listen to “Undivided Heart & Soul” leads to the discovery of another benchmark, from Link Wray, the Black Keys and Dave Edmunds to the Kinks’ Dave Davies, Motown and even Supergrass.

McPherson sings wonderfully, with a measured abandon. He doesn’t over-emote to sell a song but dabs enough passion on the tracks to ensure his commitment comes through clearly.

“Crying’s Just a Thing You Do Closer” has the drive of “Summertime Blues” in acoustic mode, while the lead guitar on “Lucky Penny” creates a squealing, overdriven fuzz that makes it immediately clear there’s no good fortune in that coin.

—Pablo Gorondi, Associated Press

Dhani Harrison

Album: “In Parallel”

Grade: B-

Dhani Harrison doesn’t hide from — nor does he duplicate — the sounds of his late father, George Harrison. The younger Harrison builds on the legacy in a way that seems at once familiar, original and assured.

The listener can’t help but hear the Beatlesque and Harrisonian touches on several songs, including the lead-off “Never Know” and “All About Waiting.” The latter is reminiscent of his father in subject matter and musical structure, though the pulsing beat owes more to the clubs. The closer, “Admiral of Upside Down,” wouldn’t seem out of place on the Beatles’ “Abbey Road.”

—Jeff Karoub, Associated Press