Proxy Music

Linda Thompson is a heroine in the British folk music community, a gifted vocalist who was already a respected singer before she wed Richard Thompson and with him made a string of brilliant albums, bookended by the masterpieces I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight (1974) and Shoot Out the Lights (1982). She would later mature into an outstanding songwriter, and with 2002s Fashionably Late she relaunched her career with a superb LP that blended folk and pop influences old and new, created with the help of her talented family. However, Linda also lives with spasmodic dysphonia, a neurologic disorder that makes it extremely difficult to sing; it kept her away from the studio for years before Fashionably Late, and still reappears periodically to this day. The title of 2024s Proxy Music, along with being a witty reference to the great British folk-rock band (Linda parodies the cover of their debut album for Proxy Musics sleeve), also offers a clue to how the album was created. With Linda once again prevented from singing by spasmodic dysphonia, she and co-producers Teddy Thompson and Edward Haber instead recruited a team of vocalists handpicked by Linda and Teddy to handle the vocals in her place for a collection of the latest songs she had written. Its clear that Lindas desire to see these songs documented was based on more than mere vanity. These are great tunes -- from the folkie purity of "Mudlark" and "Bonnie Lass," the elegant classicism of "Or Nothing at All" and "Darling This Will Never Do," to the clever, mature pop of "John Grant" and "Three Shaky Ships," and the deeply personal introspection of "I Used to Be So Pretty" -- and her unpretentious, deeply affecting strength as a lyricist is matched by her graceful way with a melody. The singers who were recruited to deliver the material clearly understand the songs and how good they are, and they uniformly rise to the occasion of singing them with the skill and sensitivity they warrant. Ren Harvieu perfectly embodies the sorrow and betrayal in "I Used to Be So Pretty" (Richard Thompson plays guitar and harmonium on the track), Rufus Wainwright sounds suave and seductive on "Darling This Will Never Do," John Grant sings Lindas fan letter to him, "John Grant," with sensitivity and understated wit, Eliza Carthys voice and fiddle were made to order for the updated trad sound of "Thats the Way the Polka Goes," and the Rails (featuring Lindas daughter Kami Thompson) lend "Mudlark" excellent vocal harmonies that give the nuances of the tune all the support they deserve. (It also features a backing vocal contribution from Linda, her only singing on this project.) And the closer, "Those Damn Roches," with Teddy Thompson on lead while supported by many of the albums participants, is a loving and deeply moving homage to the many musical families shes known and loved over the years, and a celebration of the lasting bonds of blood, friendship, and song. Its a summation of how much Linda Thompson loves music and the people who make it, and thats the not-so-secret theme of Proxy Music -- she clearly wanted an audience to hear these songs, but she also wanted a chance to create with artists she loves and respects, and the joy of creation is matched by the joy of hearing these musicians at work. ~ Mark Deming