Linda Thompson

Following her remarkable comeback after an 18-year hiatus with 2002’s Fashionably Late, the British folk rock legend offers another stellar collection of contemporary material that retains many of the haunting qualities that marked her best work in the ’70s. Once again, her main collaborator is son Teddy and the pathos that has always been the Thompson family’s stock and trade remains at the core of Versatile Heart. But that trait is also predominant in the album’s special guests, most notably heard in Thompson’s dramatic duet with Antony on Rufus Wainwright’s "Beauty.” And while she reaches back into her traditional song bag with "Katy Cruel,” Thompson shows a great willingness to stretch herself with a version of one of Tom Waits’ patented weepers, "Day After Tomorrow,” and the twang-y Wanda Jackson homage "Do Your Best For Rock and Roll.” It may have taken Thompson much longer than she ever anticipated to step out of her ex-husband Richard’s shadow but with Versatile Heart, she finally has. Her work is a shining example of how vital modern folk can still be.