Claire Martin - He Never Mentioned Love - Independent on Sunday

Society decrees that female jazz singers must suffer for their art. Unfortunately, not enough. But Claire Martin - who's been a superior vocalist for a long time - has developed real grain and character in her voice, showcased perfectly on this dedication to the late singer / pianist Shirley Horn. The title track and The Music That Makes Me Dance are the most intensely Shirley-ish songs, but three arrangements by the great guitarist Jim Mullen, plus his incredible playing on Everything Must Change, demand attention, while guest star Gerard Presencer adds suitably forlorn trumpet and flugel to several pieces.