Richard Thompson has been in the music business for several decades -- he's more of a cult than a public figure, because in no small part to his strong, intelligent lyrics and his willingness to tackle topics that most songwriters wouldn't -- or would only gloss over. I've seen him perform live twice in Austin, and he's a force to be reckoned with all by himself with an acoustic guitar. His musicianship is outstanding and his humor with the audience had us all laughing and applauding throughout the show.

As you'd guess from the title, Sweet Warrior is about war. Not just the expected and timely militarization in Iraq, but localized domestic strife as well.

In "Dad's Going to Kill Me," Thompson rises above the glut of protest Iraqi war protest music bringing a soldier's everyday experience in Baghdad to life. "Guns are the Tongues" goes one step further. The character in the song "Little Joe" became a car bomber to get revenge for his lover's father and brother -- because "guns are the tongues, Little Joe / The only words we know...."

Then we move on to the more personal side of warfare. We know there was bitterness when Linda and Richard split up. I once heard an interview expressing Linda's grief and fury at him. "Mr. Stupid" would probably sound just that if anyone else sang it, but that one line -- "You're stuck with a Neanderthal for an ex / Don't fret about it, darling / I still sign my name on the checks" -- comes out harsh as a pint of the best bitters.

While the final notes do not fall on "Poppy Red," a widower's lament. You have to read between the lines to find out how the man's wife died. "Bad Monkey" details the day-to-day struggle of living with a bipolar partner:

"Shame, shame on you, you Bad Monkey /
One day you're up, next day you're down /
Why do you monkey my heart around?"

The beauty of Richard Thompson's work is that his wit always comes through in the music and his musicianship leaves you stunned. Sweet Warrior is one of the harshest, but also one of the best Richard Thompson CDs ever.