Claire Martin

Jazz-lovers tend to grow very possessive about Claire Martin. And who can blame them, since she is one of the few world-class singers this country has produced. Just as she has always had an eye for the rarer jazz standard, Martin – like Quincy Jones – has always enjoyed crossing the tracks into the mainstream. Noel Gallagher dropped by with his guitar on last year’s “Take My Heart”, and Martin continues in husky pop vein here. She was an early champion of that cult voice, the late Eva Cassidy, so it would be only fair if some of the listeners who caught up with Cassidy via the Radio 2 playlist should now give Martin a turn. Highlights range from Phoebe Snow’s Inspired Insanity to the melancholia of Shadowville, from the new songwriter Dede Madden. Martin’s nonconformist impulses also deliver a memorably off-beat rendition of Hendrix’s Up From The Skies.

Claire Martin has long been one of Britain’s finest voices and she lends her smoky tones to some classic songs on latest outing “Perfect Alibi”

The husky-voiced singer could tackle pretty much any song and make something of it but while “Perfect Alibi” may be eclectic the material is perfectly picked. Martin tackles How Can I Be Sure? with the confidence of Dusty, John Martyn joins her on Man In The Station, and Hendrix’s Up From The Skies is a slinky blueswalk.
Other gems include the Stylistics’ People Make The World Go Round, Donny Hathaway’s More Than You’ll Ever Know, and Laura Nyro’s He’s A Runner.

This album should finally open people’s ears to Martin’s many talents. With Paul Stacey covering all the guitar and bass guitar duties, this is a real treat. His speciality is finding the perfect guitar sound for each song. A particular favourite is their version of Jimi Hendrix’s Up From The Skies. He doesn’t attempt a Hendrix-style burn out, he just grooves. The vocal duet with John Martyn on Man in the Station will send shivers down the most jaded spinal column. Miss Martin now seems to have taken on Dusty Springfield’s mantle as top all-round British songstress.

I find the sight of a young singer pretending to be Frank Sinatra or Peggy Lee and singing yet another version of “Night and Day” rather depressing. This obviously bothers Claire Martin too, because in recent years she has set out to find repertoire that is more relevant to her own life and experiences. In this (and her previous CD) she has really put herself out on a limb, experimenting with contemporary songs from the worlds of pop and rock and using her jazz sensibilities to colour them. Of course it doesn’t always work, but that happens when you take risks and she has to be applauded for doing so. The most successful track is her re-working of Jimi Hendrix’s Up From The Skies in which her voice smoulders and snarls and will leave any red-blooded male feeling weak at the knees.

Claire Martin’s venturesome new album Perfect Alibi works just like the title says. Some might consider it too eclectic, but I don’t think so. Here, she uses her jazz sensibility to color such items from the pop/rock repertoire as Phoebe Snow’s deliciously devious Inspired Insanity, Al kooper’s More than You’ll Ever Know and Laura Nyro’s He’s a Runner. What she takes, she makes her own, as in her iconoclastic rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s Up from the Skies that smolders in a way that is filled with the passionate urge to transcend earthbound existence through love. Claire leaves Jimi’s song more memorable than she found it.

A highlight here is the presence of guest co-vocalist and songwriter John Martyn. His duet with Claire in Man in the Station really resonates with desire, pain, and regret. Another definite plus is the contribution throughout the album of Paul Stacey, who plays damn near everything than can be plucked or strummed – electric, acoustic, and bass guitars, sitar, dobro, baritone and ebow guitars – and invests every song with just the perfect sound. Credit also the key backup support of Jeremey Stacey on drums; Anthony Kerr, vibes; Mornington Lockett, clarinet & saxophone, Luis Jardim, percussion; and Arnie Somogyi, double bass.

The presence of strings, heard as either a single or double quartet and played in blues/jazz style rather than a strict classical idiom, adds a special quality to the mood of many of these tracks. Listen to the way the brown-hued acrid harmonies interplay with the vocal lines in the poignant yet hopeful Strangers Now (Martin/Somogyi) and the crisply articulated Over by Allenby (Comfort), and you’ll hear what I mean. And Miss Martin’s vocal versatility can, as required, bleed right into the instrumental line, as it does in the final measure of Todd Rundgren’s Wailing Wall, where it whites out in the sound of Robin Aspland’s organ accompaniment rather than fade to black.

An impressive singer, Claire Martin. Some consider her the best all-around British vocalist since Dusty Springfield. Who am I to say nay?

This reissue from Linn Records offers Claire Martin’s 2000 album “Perfect Alibi” as a 5.1 multichannel SACD – previously only available as a stereo SACD. And despite the fact that the stereo-only disc was excellent, for those of us who are enamoured with surround sound, this new 5.1 mix takes an already incredibly good disc to an entirely different level of enjoyment!  For those unfamiliar with Claire Martin, she regularly wins polls and awards in England as best female jazz singer, and she hosts her own jazz show on the BBC. And while most of her records are firmly in the jazz idiom, this disc of mostly covers takes on more pop-oriented fare – both new and classic – although many of the songs are delivered with a jazzy twist and her trademark smoky-sweet voice.

Many of the songs here will be instantly recognizable to most listeners, and there are some less frequently performed chestnuts as well as newer tunes that are greatly deserving of the showcase they’re given here. At the very least, Claire Martin isn’t afraid to take chances with her choices of repertory, and many of the songs here are given bold arrangements that often incorporate instrumentation outside the mainstream. Particularly enjoyable are her takes on Jimi Hendrix’s Up From The Skies and the really gut-wrenching, bluesy take she gives Al Kooper’s More Than You’ll Ever Know, one of my all-time favorite Blood, Sweat and Tears songs. She also works magic with overlooked gems like Phoebe Snow’s Inspired Insanity and Laura Nyro’s He’s A Runner. Another tune I can’t seem to get out of my head is Over By Allenby, a song I’d never heard before, but it sure does seem familiar!

Many of the songs are very guitar-oriented, and Paul Stacey is to be especially commended for the excellent work he turns in here – man, can that guy play! The sound quality of this disc is nothing short of magnificent; the stereo-only disc was already superb, but many will probably welcome the opportunity to experience this excellent surround remix. And at only about $15, who can resist? Highly recommended!

You can’t have too much of a good thing, and this reissue of Martin’s crossover album from 2000 is a perfect partner to “The Early Years Anthology”. Long before the likes of Norah Jones and Katie Melua came on the scene, Martin was exploring material by the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Laura Nyro, and the results remain superb. Martin’s rich voice lights up these songs and in the company of a larger-than-usual band, she makes the material her own. It never tips over into pop or easy-listening, and it’s all the better for it. “Perfect Alibi” remains one of Martin’s best records.

As far as its jazz catalogue is concerned, Claire Martin is the artist who has defined the Linn sound. Released at budget price and collecting together the singer’s first four studio albums for the label – “The Waiting Game” (1992), “Devil May Care” (1993), “Old Boyfriends” (1994) and “Make This City Ours” (1997) – “The Early Years Anthology” raises an interesting question. Has any UK jazz singer ever arrived so fully formed? Chosen by The Times as one of its “Records of the Year”, there’s nothing abecedarian about the debut album. Including You Hit the Spot and Some Cats, it announces the arrival of a bona fide jazz singer. Kicking off with a superior reading of Bob Dorough’s title track, the follow-up “Devil May Care” brings Martin’s lyrical and compositional talents to the fore. Released in the year that the singer received the “Rising Star” award at the British Jazz Awards, “Old Boyfriends” boasts a typically eclectic song list ranging from the Tom Waits title track to the Burt Bacharach rarity Out Of My Continental Mind. Featuring new pianist Gareth Williams and recorded in NYC with a top-flight band, “Make This City Ours” exudes an even greater confidence and zip.

Heard back to back, what’s most striking is the singer’s ability perform any number of emotional states, from the lugubrious reflection of The People That You Never Get To Love and ardent pleading of Save Your Love For Me, to the quiet exultation of Gentleman Friend and carpe diem sentiments of Make This City Ours Tonight. There’s nothing remotely ersatz or candy coated about Martin. Every line is sung with a dramatic credibility. The anthology shows her to be that rarest of things: a singer who actually lives up to the extravagant claims made on their behalf.

Now, newly remastered, to rediscover her bestselling album “Perfect Alibi” (2000) is to marvel once again at its freshness. The singer brings subtlety and insight to a diverse collection that runs the gamut from the large-cast sumptuousness of How Can I Be Sure? and People Make The World Go Round to the stripped down duets of Shadowville and More Than I  Can Bear, featuring multi-instrumentalist and producer Paul Stacey.

Claire Martin fra engelske Wimbledon beriger os her med endnu en perle af en CD. Og selv om denne hendes den 11. skive for mig er ny, er det faktisk bare en genudgivelse af hendes anmelderroste skive Perfect Alibi fra år 2000. Forskellen er at denne nyudgivelse er nymastered ud fra det analoge masterbånd of konverteret til DSD og kommer I 5.1 surround og en HDCD optimeret version. Og lyden er superb og matcher meget godt den ligeledes høje musikalske kvalitet some styres af bl.a. John Martin på gæstevokal, Paul og Jeremy Stacey på hhv. guitar, keyboards og trimmer, og bassen betjenes af Arnie Somogyi. Sangskriverne er heller ikke novicer. På creditlisten finder vi bl.a. Jimi Hendrix, Donny Hathaway og Al Kooper. Men specielt vil jeg fremhæve nummeret Man in the Station, hvor John Martyn synger duet med Claire Martin, og det hele swinger på en dejlig afslappet made. Der er både jazz, folk og lidt blues i en herlig blanding og med en forrygende lydkvalitet. I sin fritid synger Claire Martin med hendes venner fra samme label, nemlig Ian Shaw og Barb Jungr. Sikken en fest.

Juz prawdopodobnie w 2000 roku, a wiec w momencie premiery, nagrania z „Perfect Alibi” brzmialy poprawnie, jednak slynaca z troski o dzwiek firma Linn postanowila dodatkowo uatrakcyjnic walory odsluchowe, miksujac jeszcze raz material w technologiach DSD i HDCD z analogowego masteru. Ponadto umozliwiono odsluch z pieciu glosników i subwoofera, czyli w trybie „5.1 surround”.

Wysilki realizatorów byly warte zachodu. Wszak wykonawczynia nagran jest pierwsza dama brytyjskiego jazzu, Claire Martin, pieciokrotna zdobywczyni nagrody BBC/British Jazz. Piosenkarka wybrala 12 przebojów z pop-rockowego repertuaru i zinterpretowala je po swojemu. A ze niewatpliwie potrafi spiewac, znane melodie w jej wersjach nabraly nowego blasku.

Mamy tu tak róznorodne stylistycznie kompozycje, jak „Up From The Skies” Hendrixa, „More Than You’ll Ever Know” Ala Koopera i „Wailing Wall” Todda Rundgrena. Wszystkie potraktowane nieco inaczej niz w oryginale, jednak urokliwie i z klasa. Aby osiagnac taki efekt, bohaterka plyty miala do pomocy utalentowanych muzyków, a wsród nich Paula Staceya z grupy The Black Crowes w roli gitarzysty i aranzera. Jednak mimo rockowej oprawy wersje Claire Martin maja wiecej wspólnego z jazzem niz ze stylem zródlowym. No cóz… W przypadku tej wykonawczyni nie moglo byc inaczej.

I’ve listened to Claire Martin at various times of the day over the last few months. She is one of those artists who’s well known, but not so much in the States as abroad. I’m glad to hear someone is still out there doing this combination of styles in an age when electronic rhythm and scratchy turntable moves have replaced any sense of the “human beat”, that of the heart, on CD. Martin’s, a fine musician whose voice is often dusky but can be light and smooth as well. Her pitch is impeccable and she always has a story to tell us. That’s a big compliment in this world of singers who seem to think that intonation and understanding of the words don’t matter; or they may do well with those things but spend all their time doing quasi gospel riffs in place of real phrasing. The problem with understanding the words is surely nothing new to anyone. Just think of that great teeny bop wonder, “Louie Louie”, covered by the Kingsmen in 1963. Even the FBI got into the act of trying to decipher the non existent “obscene” lyrics. After spending tens of thousands to “dig out the filth” The Feds, along with the rest of us still don’t understand exactly what’s being slurred at us by the very wily singer. Thankfully no one went to jail.

When is it best to play this Martin CD from the year 2000? I’d say the time will come when you are ready to relax and as Linn so aptly puts it, here’s the “Perfect Alibi” for doing so. I’d open a bottle of wine – turn down the lights or just let the burning embers of an evening’s fire lend a glow to the room. Curl up somewhere comfy, (maybe with that other who compliments your cuddling skills so well) then play this CD. It always leads me to a cool mood.

Certainly the first tune, “How Can I Be Sure” from 1967, is sung and played very differently than the “Rascals” did it in the Hippie days of yore. It may catch you slightly off guard as you match that group’s arrangement with Martin’s way of telling the story. Track two, “Man in the Station”, is the only duet on the CD. Martin is joined vocally by the song’s composer, John Martyn, whose sexy rasp is a perfect foil for Martin’s more “professional” sound. (I love it when composer’s sing their own music. There’s nothing quite like it.) “Up From the Skies” is third; with an old rock and roll organ, acoustic guitar and drums keeping harmony and rhythm steady under her; Martin allows this song to flow so easily that it may wrap you up tightly in a curiously old yet new kind of sensuous experience.

There’s a wonderful shift at track four. This song was written by an artist that I have always cherished – Phoebe Snow. Martin may not have the unadulterated low growl and slow vibrato that makes Snow unique, but her rendition is her own and doesn’t come from a time when disco was knocking the club scene out of place. Wonderful Phoebe’s tune is refreshing to hear anew. It has a typical Snow title – “Inspired Insanity.”

Track 6, “Shadowville” is a languid ballad that sustains the intimate mood. I’m reminded there’s more Phoebe Snow influence here. Martin’s phrasing is smoother than Snow’s; it doesn’t “bounce” along with that slow beat in the voice that is one of Snow’s signature stylistic creations.

Track seven opens with some quirky harmonies played by a string quartet and a quietly undulating rhythm section. It’s called “Strangers Now” and the arrangement – the doubling of Martin’s voice – the whole song – has a feel of Joanie Mitchell; however Martin’s voice is much darker in comparison. It’s a special number done quite specially.

“More Than You’ll Ever Know” is a slow blues tune arranged by a collaboration of Martin and her colleagues. It has a late ‘50s soul feel to it, and could be slightly out of place here. It’s “verse – bridge – verse – bridge – verse” arrangement alternating between minor, major and minor etc. has a fine guitar riff found midway in; does Scotland sound like the New Orleans Delta? (That’s a place I was raised, mais oui, cher.) The intrinsic feel of the Creole South is not very evident and I think it needs a little more spice in the recipe.

The ninth track, “Over by Allenby”, has the groove and mix of a late 60s early 70s club song while 10, “More Than I Can Bear”, is a bit of fluff accompanied by guitars alone. “He’s a Runner”, track 11 has the slightest hint of Country Western with its slide guitar, but Martin sticks with a fuller vocal sound; there’s no twang in this lady’s vocal chords. The Scottish brogue would lend itself to that kind of sound, however. Its was very interesting to me when visiting Scotland, North England or Wales to discover that our own Country Western style actually derives more from them than the other way around.

The closing number is Todd Rundgren’s “Wailing Wall”. It has a simple electronic organ and synth quietly blending with the voice. I think Martin found the perfect exit with this “be still my soul” music.

By now Claire Martin has made clear two things. First, she is her own singer, never imitating anyone else; the arrangements might but Martin, never. Two, in that same vein, she is strictly her own artist. There’s a difference in the two. The voice is velvety one moment, pleasantly purring way down low the next. There’s plenty of power behind it, but she rarely chooses to “belt it out”. Few singers today phrase with this much imagination. I want to see her in performance. Then I can see what I only picture her doing with such beauty and grace.

The sound is excellent for a studio mix and is achieved through plenty of “tracking” or overdubbing. Martin’s band is in top form. Linn’s remastering seems fine.

There’s still not a jot of technical information about this recording or remastering. You just have to go by what you hear in order to understand that the recording equipment must have been first class. I do wish Linn would stop holding on to its precious secrets. Could I please know the name of just one microphone or monitor speaker. I’m sure Linn uses the very best recording equipment. So why not let us in on that information? Is it possible they don’t use their own brand of equipment for playback? Some of us care to know if for no other reason than the audiophile price of the CD at hand. THe recording is top notch regardless. Claire’s voice is warm, full and out front with a nice essence of air surrounding her. Piano is crisp and natural as are the other players. There is no new ground being broken here, but the sonics are in no way disappointing.