Due to the duet albums with her ex-husband Richard Thompson and her solo albums, Linda Thompson is considered a key figure in British folk rock. Versatile Heart is the follow-up to Fashionably Late ('02), the album that brought her back into the spotlight after an absence of seventeen years. Joined by her son Teddy and daughter Kamila, and family friends from the international folk community like
… Rufus and Martha Wainwright, Antony and Eliza Carthy, she delivers an intimate, understated yet expressive album. Own work is alternated with traditionals and work of her guests. The emphasis is on personally tinted material, but a protest song is also included (Tom Waits' Day After Tomorrow). The closing track Stay Bright was provided with a string arrangement by Robert Kirby, known for his work for Nick Drake. (MS)more
