Versatile Heart

 Recorded over three years in New York and Scotland, Versatile Heart, Linda Thompson’s third solo album, is a straightforward singer’s album. There are no tricky productions, no instruments threatening to overtake her space. For years Thompson has suffered with spasmodic dysphonia, a rare vocal disorder that freezes the vocal cords, that has limited her live appearances and her recording output. Here, she sounds completely relaxed, allowing the well-chosen material to do much of the work. Thompson has never been a showy singer, relying more on a whispered breath, a slight choke and a careful inflection to render the truth. The traditional, “Katy Cruel,” acknowledges her timeless English folk roots, while the Tom Waits/ Kathleen Brennan tune, “Day After Tomorrow,” takes a step towards the Iraq desert and a soldier’s unsure future. Thompson and son Teddy co-wrote several tracks (including the title track and “The Way I Love You”) and she duets with him, daughter Kamila, Martha Wainwright and Antony (of the Johnsons) for songs that skim rockabilly and C&W for their emotive power.