Linda Thompson

When Linda Thompson released Fashionably Late in 2002, it came 17 long years after her solo debut. The album was hailed as a triumphant comeback by many who'd assumed the British folk-rock legend would never record again. Now, Thompson is back—fashionably early, by comparison—with an album of stunning beauty that expands on the palette established by Fashionably Late. Recorded in New York City, England and Scotland over a three-year period with Fashionably Late's producer Edward Haber, Versatile Heart marks the return of what Rolling Stone called "one of rock & roll's finest voices."

While her longstanding bout with spasmodic dysphonia, a rare condition that leaves her unable to sing for long stretches of time, continues to limit her concert appearances, Linda Thompson is clearly in the midst of a creative resurgence. Versatile Heart's eleven songs take all the qualities associated with Thompson's singing throughout the years – steely defiance, soulful phrasing, and devastating vulnerability among them – and extends them into a range of contexts. From unguarded folk balladry to barroom honky-tonk, brass-flecked acoustic pop to modern-day art song, the songs and performances gathered on Versatile Heart are powerful evidence that, nearly four decades into her career, Linda Thompson continues to evolve and hone her craft as both a songwriter and performer.

Showcasing Thompson's interpretive gifts, Versatile Heart features several exceptional cover songs, including the vintage American folk song "Katy Cruel" and Tom Waits' and Kathleen Brennan's powerful "Day After Tomorrow," written as a soldier's letter home from the Iraq War. In addition to daughter Kamila Thompson's "Nice Cars," Linda sings Rufus Wainwright's "Beauty" in a gorgeous duet with acclaimed vocalist Antony, awash in stately strings arranged by Maxim Moston, who has worked with Rufus, Antony, and Joan as Police Woman.

But the album's strength lies in Thompson's bittersweet voice and the sort of timeless balladry for which she is famous. The originals range from the traditionally oriented story songs like "Blue and Gold," the gorgeous "The Way I Love You," sung with Martha Wainwright, and the bittersweet pop of the title track (all co-written with son Teddy Thompson) to such traditional-sounding numbers as Linda's own "Whisky, Bob Copper and Me," a stirring tribute to British folk veteran Bob Copper featuring legendary British folk guitarist Martin Carthy and his daughter Eliza Carthy.

As with her last album, Versatile Heart is a family affair that features performances from both Teddy and Kamila. "Part of the joy of recording for me is to do that with my children," says Thompson. Teddy also co-produced several tracks, including the rockabilly ballad "Do Your Best for Rock 'n Roll," another mother-son collaboration, and the country weeper "Give Me a Sad Song," which Linda co-wrote with Betsy Cook. "We have a very strong bond," she says of Teddy, an accomplished singer-songwriter himself.

Linda's longstanding friendship with Kate and Anna McGarrigle, extends to Kate's children Martha and Rufus, also close friends of Teddy, who both performed on Fashionably Late. This time around, Martha sings on "The Way I Love You," while Rufus wrote "Beauty" especially for Linda. "He came to my house one day and said, 'I've written a song for you,'" she recalled. "I was sitting in my bedroom and he took out a guitar and sang it for me. I nearly fell off the edge of the bed. His line 'the world filled with goodness, only hidden by beauty' is so incredible. Most people only see beauty in the world—they don't see the goodness."

Thompson's own lyrics on Versatile Heart are equally revealing. Rolling Stone once wrote that she has a "storyteller's knack for placing the right emphasis on the right word at the right time." That talent is evident on a song like "Go Home," a heart-wrenching song about an affair with someone who is married. "I'm the sort of songwriter who goes in for murder ballads and songs about lost love," says Thompson, "and that one falls into the latter category. You think, 'Oh god, this guy is dumping her' and it turns out to be something quite different."

The song that is most deeply steeped in the British folk tradition is "Whisky, Bob Copper and Me." "That's really hardcore folk," admits Thompson, with a laugh. "Bob Copper was the patriarch of the Copper family, who are to British music what the Carter family is to American music. I wrote it before Bob died in 2004. He was a wonderful man and the most incredible repository of knowledge and songs. I wanted the song to sound like a hymn, so I asked Eliza [Carthy] to play organetta, and I found this wonderful barbershop quartet in New York. It all came together quite nicely, I must admit."

Thompson is herself a legendary figure in British folk music. Together with her then-husband Richard, she made a string of now-classic albums during the 1970s and, following their separation, she released her debut solo album One Clear Moment in 1985. Since her return to recording, with Fashionably Late, which The New Yorker called "a marvel of modern folk," she produced a highly regarded all-star tribute to the English Music Hall at London's Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and participated in Hal Wilner's traveling Leonard Cohen tribute shows in New York, England, and Australia.

Linda indicates that Versatile Heart may not be her last recorded statement. "I'm writing quite a lot at the moment," she admits. "I find that I write more as I get older. And I'm quite happy to stay home and play guitar and write. Plus I have a lot of musicians in my family, so that's very inspiring for me." That inspiration has paid off handsomely with Versatile Heart.