Sweet Warrior

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title: "Sweet Warrior" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["2007-albums", "richard-thompson-(musician)-albums", "p-vine-records-albums", "proper-records-albums"] topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_Warrior" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox album"]

Field	Value
name	Sweet Warrior
type	Studio
artist	Richard Thompson
cover	RT_SweetWarrior.jpg
released	28 May 2007 (UK)
recorded	October and December 2006
studio	House of Blues Studio, Encino, Los Angeles, California
genre	Folk rock, contemporary folk
length	68:03
label	Proper (UK, Europe)The Planet Company (Australia)Shout! Factory (North America)P-Vine (Japan)
producer	Richard Thompson, Simon Tassano
prev_title	RT- The Life and Music of Richard Thompson'
prev_year	2006
next_title	Live Warrior

| | next_year | 2009 | ::

| name = Sweet Warrior | type = Studio | artist = Richard Thompson | cover = RT_SweetWarrior.jpg | alt = | released = 28 May 2007 (UK) | recorded = October and December 2006 | venue = | studio = House of Blues Studio, Encino, Los Angeles, California | genre = Folk rock, contemporary folk | length = 68:03 | label = Proper (UK, Europe)The Planet Company (Australia)Shout! Factory (North America)P-Vine (Japan) | producer = Richard Thompson, Simon Tassano | prev_title = RT- The Life and Music of Richard Thompson' | prev_year = 2006 | next_title = Live Warrior

| next_year = 2009 | MC = 84/100 | rev1 = AllMusic | rev1score = | rev2 = Encyclopedia of Popular Music | rev2Score = | rev3 = Entertainment Weekly | rev3score = A− | rev4 = The A.V. Club | rev4score = B | rev5 = The Guardian | rev5score = | rev6 = The Independent | rev6score = | rev7 = PopMatters | rev7score = 8/10 | rev8 = Slant Magazine | rev8score = | rev9 = Spin | rev9score = | rev10 = Uncut | rev10score = ** Sweet Warrior ** is the thirteenth studio album by Richard Thompson, released in 2007. Thompson financed the recording of this album himself and then licensed the finished album to various labels for distribution. On its release, Sweet Warrior entered Amazon.com's top 20 for music sales.

Overview

The album's sleeve notes are prefaced by Sonnet LVII by Edmund Spenser, "Sweet warrior! when shall I have peace with you", one of his 1595 Amoretti sonnet cycle.

The track "Dad's Gonna Kill Me" was given an advance release via Thompson's own web site and iTunes. The song was singled out for praise by critics | url = http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/42452/richard-thompson-sweet-warrior/ | title = Richard Thompson, Sweet Warrior | publisher = PopMatters | date = 2007-05-28 and featured prominently in Thompson's live performances in early 2007. This song's lyrics make extensive use of US military slang (the "Dad" of the title is GI slang for "Baghdad"), and convey the thoughts and feelings of an uneasy U.S. soldier fighting in Iraq. It was subsequently used on the closing montage of the first episode of the third season of the American action crime drama television series Sons of Anarchy.

The cover photograph is taken from the Collection d'Adhémar de Panat.

Reception

The albums' advance release enjoyed airplay on several radio stations and attracted generally favourable comments from the press and advance publicity for the album.

The album received very favourable reviews. Writing in The Guardian, Robin Denselow said: "He hasn't brought out his electric guitar to work with a band on an album of new songs in four years now, but it has been well worth the wait. He has always specialised in writing about loss, bitterness and horror, and this is one of the most brilliantly gloomy albums in his long career."{{cite news | url = https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/may/25/folk.shopping | title = Richard Thompson, Sweet Warrior | work = The Guardian | date = 2007-05-25 | location=London | first=Robin | last=Denselow | access-date=2010-05-24 | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/release/hv63/ | title = Richard Thompson, Sweet Warrior | publisher = BBC Folk & Country Reviews | date = 2007-05-28

Track listing

All songs written by Richard Thompson:

1. "Needle and Thread" – 4:43
2. "I'll Never Give It Up " – 3:22
3. "Take Care the Road You Choose" – 6:44
4. "Mr. Stupid" – 3:53
5. "Dad's Gonna Kill Me" – 5:16
6. "Poppy-Red" – 4:37
7. "Bad Monkey" – 5:13
8. "Francesca" – 5:17
9. "Too Late to Come Fishing" – 4:36
10. "Sneaky Boy" – 2:59
11. "She Sang Angels to Rest" – 3:25
12. "Johnny's Far Away" – 4:53
13. "Guns Are the Tongues" – 7:27
14. "Sunset Song" – 5:38

Bonus tracks on the P-Vine Records release for the Japanese market:

• "Any Old Body"
• "Dust and Wine"

Personnel

Musical

• Richard Thompson – vocals, electric guitar, steel-string acoustic guitar, mandolin, accordion, tin whistle, autoharp, harmonium, hurdy-gurdy, electronic organ, handclaps (on 10), penny whistle (on 9)
• Michael Hays – rhythm guitar, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
• Danny Thompson – double bass
• Taras Prodaniuk – electric bass guitar
• Michael Jerome – drums, percussion
• Judith Owen – backing vocals, handclaps (on 10)
• Sara Watkins – fiddle (on 5, 12–13)
• Joe Sublett – tenor saxophone (on 7–8)
• Joe Buck – first violin (on 11)
• Al Michaels – second violin (on 11)
• Novi Ola – viola (on 11)
• Simon Tassano – handclaps (on 10)
• Chris Kasych – handclaps (on 10)

Technical

• Doug Tyo – engineer (at House of Blues Studio, Encino, California)
• Chris Kasych – assistant engineer
• Simon Tassano – mixing (at Rumiville Studio, Austin, Texas)
• Jim Wilson – mastering (at Airshow Mastering, Boulder, Colorado)

References

Other sources

• Official credits page
• Sweet Warrior, Richard Thompson (2007), Proper Records: PRPCD032, sleeve notes

References

1. "Sweet Warrior by Richard Thompson".
2. [{{AllMusic
3. Larkin, Colin. (2007). "Encyclopedia of Popular Music". [[Oxford University Press]].
4. The guy's a six-string hero whose artistic sweep runs from plangent ballads to fiery barnstormers to, well, a heap of engaging styles in between. [1 Jun 2007, p.69]
5. Hyden, Steven. (May 29, 2007). "Richard Thompson: Sweet Warrior".
6. Denselow, Robin. (25 May 2007). "Richard Thompson, Sweet Warrior". The Guardian.
7. "Independent review".
8. "Music Reviews, Features, Essays, News, Columns, Blogs, MP3s and Videos".
9. Newlin, Jimmy. (May 29, 2007). "Review: Richard Thompson, Sweet Warrior".
10. Of course, the main attraction remains his bristling, zigzag guitar licks, which still astound nearly 40 years on. [Jun 2007, p.96]
11. He sounds more like a loner--intense, precise, impervious to fashion--than ever. [Jul 2007, p.102]
12. ''Sweet Warrior'', Richard Thompson (2007), Proper Records: PRPCD032, sleeve notes
13. "Press release, March 14, 2007".

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