John Grant

Following the runaway success of his last LP, Boy From Michigan, which crashed the UK Top 10 back in July 2021, legendary singer-songwriter John Grant returns with his hugely-anticipated sixth album, The Art Of The Lie.

THIS MONTH’S COVERMOUNT CD explores the chamber pop legacy of Hunky Dory, with tracks by Plush, Cardinal, Richard Swift, John Grant, St Vincent, Father John Misty, Mike Garson and more!

It was designed to be a blockbuster and it was. Prior to Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Elton John had hits – his second album, Elton John, went Top Ten in the U.S. and U.K., and he had smash singles in "Crocodile Rock" and "Daniel" – but this 1973 album was a statement of purpose spilling over two LPs, which was all the better to showcase every element of John's spangled personality…

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was where Elton John's personality began to gather more attention than his music, as it topped the American charts for eight straight weeks. In many ways, the double album was a recap of all the styles and sounds that made John a star. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is all over the map, beginning with the prog rock epic "Funeral for a Friend (Love Lies Bleeding)" and immediately careening into the balladry of "Candle in the Wind." For the rest of the album, John leaps between popcraft ("Bennie and the Jets"), ballads ("Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"), hard rock ("Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting"), novelties ("Jamaica Jerk-Off"), Bernie Taupin's literary pretensions ("The Ballad of Danny Bailey"), and everything in between. Though its diversity is impressive, the album doesn't hold together very well. Even so, its individual moments are spectacular and the glitzy, crowd-pleasing showmanship that fuels the album pretty much defines what made Elton John a superstar in the early '70s.

The revered British singer/songwriter Linda Thompson's latest project, the aptly named 'Proxy Music' features artists handpicked by Linda and her son (and album co-producer) Teddy Thompson, to record a new set of her tunes by "proxy". Thompson, who Rolling Stone hailed as having "one of rock and roll's finest voices," has limited singing capabilities now due to a rare vocal condition. 'Proxy Music', however, impressively showcases her songwriting range and prowess. Tracks like "Darling This Will Never Do," and "Mudlark" hold a timeless quality, while "Those Damn Roches" and "John Grant" (sung by John Grant himself) boast very modern sensibilities. 'Proxy Music' contains performances from Linda's long-time friends and admirers as Rufus Wainwright, Martha Wainwright, Eliza Carthy, The Proclaimers, Dori Freeman, and Grant, along with many talented Thompsons, including her children Teddy and Kami, and her ex-husband Richard Thompson playing guitar on several tracks. "Music in my family," Thompson shares. "It's like glue. It binds us."