Richard Thompson is one of those musicians we take for granted. Since leaving Fairport Convention in 1971, the English musician has released albums at a steady clip over the past six decades. Thompson is in the same realm as Robyn Hitchcock: he has accrued a cult following, including the adoration of other, more famous musicians. 

Now 77 years old, Thompson may have slowed down a bit. Though he continues to tour extensively, Hippies, Thugs and Heroes is only his second album of the 2020s. Recorded in Weehawken, New Jersey, by producer James Frazee, the record is a lyrically grim, hard-rocking collection of 12 songs featuring characters drawn from its title. 

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Featuring brass and accordions, Hippies, Thugs and Heroes was recorded mostly live in the studio, giving the songs a brisk, rough-hewn edge. Thompson’s wife Zara Phillips is also on hand to add depth to his distinctive monochromatic vocals. The record kicks off with “Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” a dark but jangly takedown that features lyrics such as “It dawns on me that you’re not quite well, you’re not quite compos mentis.” 

Thompson has always been quite acerbic in his lyrics, but songs such as “She Burns It All” feel diabolical compared to prior efforts. “Mandrake root or holy water / Heaven or abyss / When love comes to call/ She burns it all,” he sings on this eerie track, Phillips’ vocals serving as a malevolent twin.

But not all bad things need to feel scary. “Cocaine Walking, Booze Talking” is a preening strut about a substance-fueled love affair gone wrong. Thompson has been playing that song on the road for the past year, and the recorded form contains that same swagger he brought to it onstage.

Thompson displays his range on Hippies, Thugs and Heroes which features folk ballads (“Stringer”) to the raucous Louisiana-inspired “Everybody’s Stealing,” which could easily be a slogan for our times. Meanwhile, “Unsung Hero” is a paean to the unseen working-class hero while “Pauper’s Grave” eulogizes an unknown person who was found on “the side of the road under two feet of snow / Heaven was the last place he was expecting to go.” 

What is most impressive is how Thompson still sounds at the top of his game, more than 20 solo studio albums deep in his discography. He has never been one to pull punches and some of the songs are now quite bleak. Thompson knows that shit happens and that being a hippie, a thug or a hero can’t stop something terrible from befalling you.

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