THANK YOU, Mr Thompson, for choosing Perth as one of only two Scottish venues for your oh-so-entertaining gallop through 1000 years of popular music.

Jan 30 2009 by Alison Anderson, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

The evening after Richard Thompson’s Glasgow date as part of Celtic Connections, the genial travelling minstrel held his Perth audience in rapt attention with his slick show which took us from circa 1200 to 2006 pop a la Nelly Furtado's Maneater.

En route we enjoyed Thompson's excellent arrangements of the likes of Hank Williams, The Kinks, The Easybeats' Friday On My Mind and even Abba's Money Money. Not forgetting helpings of early opera, Gilbert & Sullivan's operetta, and the kings of popular music as we know – The Beatles.

Playing a huge role in delivering such a quality show were Judith Owens on vocals and piano, albeit more impressive with jazz than opera, and multi-talented Debra Dobkin, superb on percussion and vocals.

For some examples of Thompson's trawl through a millennium of music, he passed vocal duties to Owens, letting him dedicate his welter of talent to his virtuosity on guitar. Particularly outstanding in this repertoire was Cry Me a River with Owens on vocals and guitar arrangement from Thompson.

One shining feature in this stellar concert was just how many musical genre could sound so fantastic from just one guitar. Somehow Thompson's magic on just one instrument conjured impeccable classical, country, folk, jazz and pop – surely the epitome of versatility from a true master of music. Factor in Thompson's wit and showmanship, and there's little wonder it was smiles all round exiting into the chilly January night.

Alison Anderson