Proxy Music in Bloomington, MN

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 2002's
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
, and still reappears periodically to this day. The title of 2024's
Proxy Music
, along with being a witty reference to the great British art-rock band (
parodies the cover of their debut album for
's sleeve), also offers a clue to how the album was created. With
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
Teddy
to handle the vocals in her place for a collection of the latest songs she had written.
It's clear that
's 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" (
plays guitar and harmonium on the track),
Rufus Wainwright
sounds suave and seductive on "Darling This Will Never Do,"
John Grant
sings
's fan letter to him, "John Grant," with sensitivity and understated wit,
Eliza Carthy
's voice and fiddle were made to order for the updated trad sound of "That's the Way the Polka Goes," and
the Rails
(featuring
's 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
, her only singing on this project.) And the closer, "Those Damn Roches," with
on lead while supported by many of the album's participants, is a loving and deeply moving homage to the many musical families she's known and loved over the years, and a celebration of the lasting bonds of blood, friendship, and song. It's a summation of how much
loves music and the people who make it, and that's the not-so-secret theme of
-- 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