Linda Thompson -
Won't Be Long Now
In case you were wondering, this is the ex missus of...
One thing about Linda Thompson's recent career is that it serves as an example of triumph over adversity. Towards the end of her musical and marital partnership with Richard Thompson she started to struggle with what was eventually diagnosed as
spasmodic dysphonia. She had to record some songs on their last album together a line at a time, and others that had been written for her to sing ended up being sung by the (then) husband. Fuelled by anger in the aftermath of their separation (instigated by Richard) she reportedly sung at the very top of her game on the infamous tour to promote that album, but then the problems started getting worse and got so bad at one point that she was unable to speak at all for about a year. Her professional silence lasted for 15 or so years until she produced an unexpected come back album in 2002 with the help of botox shots into her vocal chords. Since then there have been another two albums.
There's been financial problems too. She doesn't have a deal with a record label, and because the dysphonia can be controlled but not cured she can't do a lot of live work. She had to crowd-fund this album, and it sounds like not necessarily the most dignifying experience.
But here we are. As a duo the Thompsons had massive respect from their peers, were the critics darlings and didn't sell many records. Some things never change, and when Linda records she's never short of collaborators - not just from her own generation but from subsequent generations of players who still revere her. On this album they include Martin Carthy, Martin Simpson, Sam Amidon, John Doyle and Eliza Carthy. And, as has become usual since her comeback, there are contributions from her family including grandson Zak Hobbs who turns out to be pretty handy with the guitar and, yes, the ex on a song that, one can't help noticing, includes the line "if you scratch a lover you'll surely find a foe".
It's a strong, assured record, made with the usual team of producer/engineer Ed Haber (who lets the music breathe) and key collaborator and general shoulder to lean on (and son) Teddy Thompson. A mix of her own compositions and traditional songs and a great tribute to the late Kate McGarrigle.
