Amnesia
By the timeAmnesiawas recorded in 1988, it seemed Richard Thompson had recovered from the break-up of his marriage to long-time musical partnerLinda Thompson--or maybe, as the title implies, he simply buried and forgot the pain. Rather than creating an album of love-gone-bad tunes (as on 1983's lovelyHand of Kindness), Thompson broke out of the gloom and wrote songs with fresh energy and strength. An aggressive voice takes over where once a weaker man may have spoken ("Turning of the Tide," "Waltzing's for Dreamers"). Moving from personal relationships to the state of the world, Thompson targets TV evangelism and American imperialism with caustic wit and guitars that sting. Produced byMitchell Froom, this collection is one of the best of their many collaborative efforts.--Lorry Fleming