Search - Claire Martin :: The Waiting Game

A throw-back to the good old days!

04/03/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is first-class singing of standards and new material that takes you back to the best. She may not be Ella or Carmen, but she's her own woman and a great singer."

You don't need that Ferrari to enjoy Claire's music

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 11/17/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This was the debut album of Britain's 90's jazz queen. Like all subsequent albums, the songs are drawn from a variety of sources, demonstrating that Claire has learned to enjoy many different types of music.This particular album begins with You hit the spot (from 1936) and continues with Be cool (a Joni Mitchell song - Claire also included a Joni Mitchell cover on her 2002 album, Too darn hot, so obviously loves Joni's songs).My favorite here is The key to your Ferrari. I think this song is meant as a joke - taken that way, it is quite amusing, although I'm sure Claire would be worth the price. The title track was co-written by Claire with her pianist, Jonathan Gee. Elsewhere on this wonderful album, there are excellent versions of Some cats (a Leiber/Stoller song best known via Peggy Lee's recording), This funny world (by Rodgers and Hart) and The people that you never get to love (also recorded by the late great Susannah McCorkle).Claire's smoky, alto voice is the main attraction of this album for me, but she is backed by musicians of the highest quality who are allowed to show their brilliance via plenty of instrumental breaks between Claire's singing.This was the first of many sensational albums by Claire (there were eight plus a best of at the time of this review). It has also been re-issued as part of the Linn box with her second and third albums - so you might consider buying the box instead of the three separate albums.Anybody who enjoys modern jazz will just LOVE Claire's music."