Stunt Records STUCD24062 (CD) & STULP24061 (LP)

Claire Martin (vocals); Martin Sjöstedt (piano & keyboards); Niklas Fernqvist (bass); Daniel Fredriksson (drums)
James McMillan (percussion, horns, additional keyboards & programming); Karl-Martin Almqvist (saxophone); Nikki Iles (accordion); Mark Jaimes (guitar); Joe Locke (vibraphone); Charlie Wood (guest vocals)
Recorded 24-26 January & 17 February 2024

In a recent conversation about Almost in Your Arms it was suggested that Claire Martin was incapable of making a bad or indifferent album. An opinion with which I must concur having had the pleasure of listening too, and reviewing Claire’s last four releases.

One of the most outstanding features of the recent recordings is that they are all so very different. From the Wes Montgomery tribute Bumpin’ with Jim Mullen and Songs and Stories with arranger Callum Au, it appears that the vocalist has formed a lasting relationship with the good people at Stunt Records that is conducive to making fine music.

So, what is it about Almost in Your Arms that makes it so special?  It is not because it demonstrates that Claire Martin is among the very best jazz singers in the world, because we already knew that. What makes the album stand out is hearing how Martin continues to grow as an artist. She could easily make a career out of singing standards and repertoire she has covered before and would be firm favourites among her many admirers, but instead Claire is continually investing in both her art and herself by looking for new songs and challenging herself. In doing so she not only manages to engage with her existing audience but also find a new one, and somehow continues to raise her own game.

In an album in which Claire looks to focus on some more contemporary songs that may not normally be associated in a jazz context, she places them firmly in the context of her own artistic growth and brings new life and meaning to some beautiful songs. A case in question is the lovely ballad reading of Tom Waits’s ‘This One’s From the Heart’ in a duet with Charlie Woods, and dynamic and passionate version of Carole King’s ‘Bitter with the Sweet’.

Another unlikely song choice is ‘The Art Teacher’ by singer / songwriter Rufus Wainwright and yet Martin takes hold of the lyrics and tells the story with feeling and compassion. This way of embracing a lyric and being able to convey it directly to the listener is also heard on the gentle and exquisite reading of ‘This House is Empty Now’ written by Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello.

Claire also acknowledges the songwriting prowess of her friend and US vocalist Mark Winkler selecting two of his compositions in ‘Train in the Desert’ with its absorbing narrative as the train rolls down the track, and the poignantly reflective ‘Do You Ever Wonder?’.

Lest we forget that this is a jazz album, Martin sneaks in a couple of more familiar songs in a swinging ‘I Feel a Song Coming On’ and the title track that is taken at gentle and tender rendition that swings most agreeably. As if to demonstrate her mastery of song, Martin scoops up Ty Jeffries ‘Water and Salt’ bringing the influence and sound of 1950’s Peggy Lee to the fore yet still managing to put her own personal stamp on the music.

All too easy to get carried away dissecting each of the songs, but it is listening to the music that carries the most weight. This is another carefully crafted and prepared album by Claire Martin, and she has been ably assisted by her Swedish trio of Martin Sjöstedt, Niklas Fernqvist, and Daniel Fredriksson.

Enlisting friend, trumpeter, producer and arranger James McMillan has provided Claire with a set of charts that sit so comfortably with her wonderful vocals. There are also sterling contributions from guests Joe Locke, Nikki Iles playing accordion, guitarist Mark Jaimes, saxophonist Karl-Martin Almqvist and not forgetting James McMillan; but it has to be said that it is Martin’s star that shines the brightest.