Claire Martin - A Modern Art - Timeout

Claire Martin has always brought an empowered feminine intelligence to bear on her work,  that sidesteps all the retro cliches of her frothy, over-hyped counterparts.  The two things that make this her finest album to date are the wry wisdom and gorgeous, post-jazz melodies,  sourced from the likes of Steely Dan,  Swedish piano trio EST and cult songwriter Micheal Franks. With cunning arrangements by bassist/producer Laurence Cottle,  Martin's dark,  velvety voice navigates each  harmonic twist,  with acerbic words to the wise and poignantly personal tales.