Linda Thompson – Proxy Music (2024) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Linda Thompson – Proxy Music (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 39:52 minutes | 756 MB | Genre: Folk, Pop
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © StorySound Records LLC

The revered British singer/songwriter Linda Thompson’s latest project, the aptly named ‘Proxy Music’ features artists handpicked by Linda and her son (and album co-producer) Teddy Thompson, to record a new set of her tunes by “proxy”. Thompson, who Rolling Stone hailed as having “one of rock and roll’s finest voices,” has limited singing capabilities now due to a rare vocal condition. ‘Proxy Music’, however, impressively showcases her songwriting range and prowess. Tracks like “Darling This Will Never Do,” and “Mudlark” hold a timeless quality, while “Those Damn Roches” and “John Grant” (sung by John Grant himself) boast very modern sensibilities. ‘Proxy Music’ contains performances from Linda’s long-time friends and admirers as Rufus Wainwright, Martha Wainwright, Eliza Carthy, The Proclaimers, Dori Freeman, and Grant, along with many talented Thompsons, including her children Teddy and Kami, and her ex-husband Richard Thompson playing guitar on several tracks. “Music in my family,” Thompson shares. “It’s like glue. It binds us.”

Afflicted with a disease that’s robbed her of the ability to sing, Linda Thompson has, however, never quit writing. She’s gathered a diverse group of her favorite singers to give voice to this collection of new songs. Proxy Music begins appropriately enough with “The Solitary Traveller,” with daughter Kami Thompson speaking her mother’s truth, “I had a voice clear and true/ I chided and scolded and lied about you/ Never held my wicked tongue/ And now that voice is gone.”

In addition to Kami, has ex-husband Richard playing on one track and son Teddy adding his vocals and guitar to several more. The closer “Those Damn Roches,” sung by Teddy, is a celebration of storied families of folk music, including the Coppers, the McGarrigle-Wainwrights, the Waterson-McCarthys, and the group of sisters referenced in the title. Sad, sepia tones color “Or Nothing at All,” sung by Martha Wainwright, and the Celtic-tinged lament about a child who has grown distant, “Bonnie Lass”—beautifully animated by The Proclaimers: “Though she stays so far away/ She’s always here.” Rufus Wainwright vibrantly croons “Darling This Will Never Do” in full lounge lizard mode.

As demonstrated by the album’s cover art—which amusingly recreates the one that graced Roxy Music’s self-titled debut—Thompson may have lost her voice but not her sense of humor. “John Grant”—sung by the titular singer/songwriter, formerly of the Czars—features a sharp, winking couplet about eating cake, “A moment on the lips/ A lifetime on the hips.”

Assisted by Kami and her husband James Walbourne (who together perform as The Rails), Linda makes her only vocal appearance, albeit very softly, on “Mudlark.” And the underrated Dori Freeman adds just the right amount of regret-tinged emotionalism to “Shores of America.” A revelatory collection from a fierce songwriter. Some voices can never be silenced. – Robert Baird

Tracklist:
1-1. Linda Thompson – The Solitary Traveller (04:03)
1-2. Linda Thompson – Or Nothing at All (04:23)
1-3. Linda Thompson – Bonnie Lass (03:18)
1-4. Linda Thompson – Darling This Will Never Do (03:10)
1-5. Linda Thompson – I Used To Be So Pretty (03:14)
1-6. Linda Thompson – John Grant (03:41)
1-7. Linda Thompson – Mudlark (03:18)
1-8. Linda Thompson – Shores Of America (02:51)
1-9. Linda Thompson – That’s The Way The Polka Goes (03:33)
1-10. Linda Thompson – Three Shaky Ships (04:02)
1-11. Linda Thompson – Those Damn Roches (04:13)

Download: