‘Paul is a gifted and versatile singer-songwriter...His own compositions, no fewer than 18 of which are showcased on this gloriously well-stocked 76-minute disc...well complement, and can I believe stand credibly alongside, the eight "lost" Jake Thackray songs. They tackle a comparable breadth of subject matter and inhabit a comparable stylistic comfort zone, but significantly also exhibit a well-developed sense of wordplay, containing many similarly inspired turns of phrase. Like his role-model, Paul can turn his pen to the overtly comic and the serious with equal aplomb, and Paul has well mastered both the chummy scurrying patter-song and the laconic mode...'

David Kidman, Fatea Magazine

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‘The comedy song is something of a lost art; simply not a part of the current musical landscape. However, on Playing With Nadine Thompson encompasses the spirit of his hero perfectly. The arrangements are similarly sparse but with the strong focus on the lyrics, an acoustic guitar or a ukulele and a double bass are all that’s needed. Thompson’s topics range from the antics of Boris, Trump and Brexit to modern dilemmas like battling with broadband providers or breaking up with… your old phone. Along with the original compositions, Thompson includes eight of Thackray’s own songs, unearthed from the North East Film Archive. They stand as a fitting tribute to a voice from another era. ****’ 

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RnR Magazine

‘What’s interesting about Paul’s original songs is that, in the main, they are songs that Jake probably would have written, had he still been around. The topics are after his time – mobile phones, budget supermarkets, the B word (listen to the CD to find out!), Trump, BJ, SatNavs – but they are all things that represent the kind of unnecessary frustrations and major annoyances that are exactly what Jake would have been writing about. One original song, however, had me tricked – the beautiful Shepherd from Hawes which, had it been a Jake song, would have been ranked among his finest, a serious, sensitive perceptive song to treasure.’

Nigel Scholfield, Tykes’ Stirrings

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