When Richard Thompson began writing songs for his latest album, Ship to Shore, the artist was instinctively drawn to his own musical roots, employing them in the service of fashioning a deep and diverse 12-track collection that pulls from various styles, genres and eras, but remains unmistakably Richard Thompson. Theres the rumbling, Motown-style rhythm that propels Trust, and the straightforward riff-rock of Turnstile Casanova. The drone-y The Old Pack Mule, an old mans song that takes musical cues from 1600s-era European music, and Lifes a Bloody Show, an ode to snake-oil salesmen and hucksters that floats on a glammy, cabaret-like melody thats almost like a parody of a Nol Coward song, or something from Berlin in the 1920s, Thompson says. I liked the idea of having a strong base to work from and reaching out from there, he says. And I think of my base as being British traditional music, but theres also Scottish music, theres Irish music. Theres jazz and country and classical. As far as Im concerned, once you establish your base you can reach out anywhere. Itll still be you ringing through, wherever you decide to go musically.