Claire Martin - Old Boyfriends - Gramophone

Claire Martin sticks to everyday relationships and she comes up with some off-beat beauties. The title number, for example, is by Tom Waits, from that sublime low-life romantic comedy One From The Heart. Dave Frishberg's The Wheelers And The Dealers was a happy thought, as was Close As The Pages In A Book, which has one of the tenderest lyrics Dorothy Fields ever wrote.

This is Claire Martin's third album, and easily as good as its predecessors. She has a soft, husky voice, good intonation and a superb band that includes Jim Mullen and Mark Nightingale.