13 Rivers (LP)

13 Rivers marks Thompson's first self-produced record for over a decade and he feels this makes for an emotionally direct album that speaks from the heart with no filters.

"This has been an intense year for myself and my family," says Thompson. "Getting older doesn't mean that life gets easier! There are surprises around every bend. I think this reflects in the immediacy of the stories, and the passion in the songs. Sometimes I am speaking directly about events, at other times songs are an imaginative spin on what life throws at you. The music is just a mirror to life, but we try to polish that mirror as brightly as possible."

The thirteen-track album was recorded in Los Angeles, and features his regular accompanists, Michael Jerome and Taras Prodaniuk, and Richard's guitar tech, Bobby Eichorn, on second guitar. Tracks were recorded analog, with a stripped down, bare-bones approach and minimal overdubbing.