The follow up to 1991’s sensational Rumor And Sigh largely fails to live up to the vaulting standards of its predecessor, suffering from a lack of first-rate material, an air of flagging energy, and a surfeit of studio trickery that rarely works in service of the songs. Opening track “For The Sake Of Mary” nods to Neil Young’s “Cinnamon Girl” without coming close to summoning that track’s manic charm, while “I Can’t Wake Up To Save My Life” sounds like a pallid cousin to the barnstorming barrelhouse rock of Rumor And Sigh. In any catalog as large and diverse as Thompson’s there are bound to be minor entries, and the vast majority of Mirror Blue is certainly that. That said, the record is very nearly redeemed by two classic Thompson ballads. The tenderly nostalgic “Beeswing” paints a touching picture of a long-abandoned affair, while the towering “King Of Bohemia” is a crushing tribute to a doomed friend that ranks as one of the most devastating songs he has ever delivered: “There is no rest/ for the ones God blessed/ and he blessed you best of all.”