Keith Thompson - Steel Strings & Bruised Reed (2008)

I have been threatening to do an acoustic album for a very long time but the catalyst for making this happen came when, in between band tours I decided I would like to find a way of being let out to play with a more simple set up. I therefore put together a set of my acoustic songs, some of which were unplugged versions of band material and other songs that until now had no outlet. So, armed with an acoustic guitar and a bunch of songs, accompanied by Patsy Gamble on sax and backing vocals, we set out to do a few gigs. The experience proved to be so enjoyable that the obvious next step would be to record a CD for people to be able to take home recordings of the set they had just heard live. I love the music we play in the band but when I am home I have always tended to gravitate to acoustic music and the work of many singer songwriters. I enjoy the personality that comes across in a more intimate and simple form, so I deliberately didn’t over-produce this album preferring to let the songs stand on their own merit. The result is a very raw and honest collection of songs and I hope you enjoy the music as much as we enjoy playing it! - Keith Thompson