Merchants and Thieves is the third studio album by Scottish pop singer Sandi Thom, released on 17 May 2010.[2][3][4] The album was released through Thom's own record label 'Guardian Angels' after being dropped by her former label Sony BMG.

Merchants and Thieves
Studio album by
Released17 May 2010 (2010-05-17) (UK)
Recorded2009–2010
GenreFolk rock, Blues
Length46:10
LabelGuardian Angels
ProducerSandi Tom
Sandi Thom chronology
The Pink & The Lily
(2008)
Merchants and Thieves
(2010)
Flesh and Blood
(2012)
Singles from Merchants and Thieves
  1. "This Ol' World"
    Released: 19 April 2010
  2. "Gold Dust"
    Released: 19 July 2010
  3. "House Of the Rising Sun"
    Released: 5 December 2010
  4. "Maggie McCall"
    Released: 2010 (Promo only)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

Background and release edit

Thom's third studio album Merchants and Thieves was released on 17 May 2010 with "This Ol' World" as the lead single. The album was published by Thom on her own "Guardian Angels" label, which she formed after being dropped by RCA. Musically it moves from pop folk towards blues and roots. The album entered the UK official chart at 118 on its first week of release before dropping out of the top 200. The single was made available as a download-only release in April 2010.[5]

A second single "Gold Dust" (smoking gun remix) was released as a download-only in July 2010 but failed to enter the official UK Chart. A deluxe edition with extra tracks and video of the single "Gold Dust" was released as a download in February 2011.This was followed by a physical release made available on Thoms website Thom's cover version of the classic track "House of the Rising Sun" was released as a download-only single and extra track on the deluxe edition of the album. It was also given away as a free download to readers of the Scottish Mail newspaper. The album was nominated for Best Album in the British Blues Awards 2011.[6]

The album was nominated for Best Jazz/Blues Recording of the Year in the Scottish Music Awards. Thom was also nominated for Artist of the Year and her label "Guardian Angel Recordings" was nominated for Record Label of the Year.[7][8]

Reception edit

"Merchants and Thieves" received a positive review by The Scotsman: "Musically, she struts a good game ... The challenge will be to convince others that she was 'born in the belly of the blues'".[9]

Track listing edit

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Maggie McCall"Jake Field, Randall Breneman, Sandi Thom3:49
2."Runaway Train"Jake Field, Sandi Thom4:26
3."Gold Dust"Jake Field, Sandi Thom3:50
4."Let It Stay"Jake Field, Randall Breneman, Sandi Thom4:39
5."Merchants and Thieves"Sandi Thom3:41
6."Show No Concern"Jake Field, Randall Breneman, Sandi Thom3:33
7."This Ol' World" (featuring Joe Bonamassa)Craig Connet, Jake Field, Lindsey Cleary, Randall Breneman, Sandi Thom, Scott Wiber3:17
8."The Sadness"Duncan Thompson, Sandi Thom3:48
9."Heart of Stone"Jake Field, Marcus Bonfanti, Sandi Thom3:48
10."Ghost Town"Jake Field, Sandi Thom2:42
11."Belly of the Blues"Jake Field, Randall Breneman, Sandi Thom5:31
12."This Ol' World (Sunset Marquis Version)"Craig Connet, Jake Field, Lindsey Cleary, Randall Breneman, Sandi Thom, Scott Wiber3:06
iTunes Bonus Tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."I Need Your Love So Bad"Little Willie John, Mertis John Jr.4:10
14."If Heartaches Were Nickels"Warren Haynes4:30

Singles edit

"This Ol' World" which features blues musician Joe Bonamassa was released as the album's lead single in April 2010.

"Gold Dust" (smoking gun remix) was released in July 2010

Awards and nominations edit

The album was nominated for Best Jazz/Blues Recording of the Year in the Scottish Music Awards. Thom was also nominated for Artist of the Year and her label "Guardian Angel Recordings" was nominated for Record Label of the Year.[7][8]

Chart performance edit

Chart (2010) Peak
position
UK Albums Chart 118

Release history edit

  • United Kingdom - 17 May 2010
  • Europe - 17 May 2010
  • United States - 18 May 2010

References edit

  1. ^ O'Brien, Jon. "Merchants & Thieves - Sandi Thom : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  2. ^ ""Merchants and Thieves" OUT NOW". Archived from the original on 28 July 2010. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  3. ^ "Merchants And Thieves: Sandi Thom: Amazon.co.uk: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  4. ^ "hmvdigital UK - Sandi Thom". Hmvdigital.com. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  5. ^ "MUSIC INTERVIEW: Sandi Thom - Top Stories". Yorkshire Evening Post. 29 April 2010. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  6. ^ "Blues Album & Record Label 2011 Nominations". Sandi Thom. Archived from the original on 4 October 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  7. ^ a b "Scottish music awards -awards page". Archived from the original on 29 August 2011. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
  8. ^ a b "Scottish music industry awards". Archived from the original on 21 September 2010. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
  9. ^ "Album review: Sandi Thom: Merchants And Thieves". News.scotsman.com. 16 May 2010. Retrieved 1 March 2012.