Folk-rock royalty Linda Thompson has announced that Proxy Music, her first new solo album since 2013’s Won’t Be Long Now, will be released by StorySound Records on June 21.
The title refers to the fact that Thompson herself was unable to sing these songs, due to a rare condition called spasmodic dysphonia that has periodically affected her career since the early 1980s. Instead, vocal duties are handled by a range of all-star guests including John Grant, The Proclaimers, The Unthanks, Eliza Carthy, Rufus Wainwright and various members of Thompson’s talented extended family.
Hear lead single “The Solitary Traveller” – written with James Walbourne and sung by Kami Thompson (AKA The Rails) – below:
“Solitary Traveller, I wouldn’t know,” says Thompson. “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.”
Pre-order Proxy Music here and check out the tracklisting below: