Folk-rock icon Linda Thompson announces new album Proxy Music
Linda Thompson | Photo credit: Sean James
Linda Thompson didn’t have a grand plan to make an album. She simply wanted to record some songs she wrote that she felt suited certain singers. However, once she had the title, Proxy Music, “I jolly well had to use it!” explained the much-lauded British musician. This unique tribute album, due June 21, features the 11 tracks that are sung by proxy - by musicians she selected: The Proclaimers, Rufus and Martha Wainwright, John Grant, Dori Freeman, The Unthanks, Ren Havieu, and Eliza Carthy as well as her children, Kami Thompson and Teddy Thompson (who co-produced the album).
Pre-order new album Proxy Music here
While Thompson has frequently been hailed for her singing prowess (Rolling Stone once declared her “one of rock and roll’s finest voices”), Proxy Music provides an impressive showcase for her immense songwriting range and talent. Songs like 'Bonnie Lass' (performed by The Proclaimers) and 'Mudlark' (performed by The Rails) could easily be mistaken for traditional English folk ballads, while 'Darling This Will Never Do' (sung by Rufus Wainwright) feels drawn from an early 20th century cabaret songbook. 'John Grant' (sung by John Grant himself) is a modern, real-life encounter that sublimely melds humor and poignancy. 'Those Damn Roches' (with Teddy Thompson on lead vocals plus a coterie of backing vocalists) majestically presents a richly evocative, highly personal portrait of folk music familial dynasties: the Roches, Wainwrights, McGarrigles, Watersons, Carthys, Coppers, and, of course, the Thompsons.
The reason behind Thompson not singing her own songs is because she has a rare vocal condition known as spasmodic dysphonia which affects a person’s ability to talk and sing. The symptoms first affected her in the early 1980s at a time when she had garnered great acclaim for the series of albums she had made with Richard Thompson (1982’s Shoot Out the Lights, for example, has ranked among the 80s top albums). Following her 1985 solo debut One Clear Moment, Thompson’s next albums didn’t appear until the 21st century - Fashionably Late (2002), Versatile Heart (2007), and Won't Be Long Now (2013) – although each one received critical accolades.
Today, the first single from the album 'The Solitary Traveller' feat. Kami Thompson, written by Linda Thompson and James Walbourne, is released. Linda Thompson had the following to say about the song:
"Solitary Traveller, I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been one. But, if you have a lot of people in your life, you sometimes yearn for solitude. Conversely, solitary people often crave company. It is a bit of a dichotomy. My daughter doing the honours."
Hear 'The Solitary Traveller' feat. Kami Thompson on streaming services here and share via YouTube below
Proxy Music album tracklisting
1. The Solitary Traveller feat. Kami Thompson
2. Or Nothing at All feat. Martha Wainwright
3. Bonnie Lass feat. The Proclaimers
4. Darling This Will Never Do feat. Rufus Wainwright
5. I Used To Be So Pretty feat. Ren Harvieu
6. John Grant feat. John Grant
7. Mudlark feat. The Rails
8. Shores of America feat. Dori Freeman
9. That’s the Way the Polka Goes feat. Eliza Carthy
10. Three Shaky Ships feat. The Unthanks
11. Those Damn Roches feat. Teddy Thompson
Linda Thompson: Website
