"How can someone this great be virtually unknown? Clearly the jazz world knew her--she is supported here by major players like Shelley Manne, Barney Kessel, and Kid Ory--but the odds of coming across people who have heard of Claire Austin are virtually nil. Still, she's brilliant. A haunting, powerful voice. The title track is awesome. Interesting choice of material too. Get it--you won't be sorry."
Too little known!
Daniel R. Lindsay | Hilo, HI United States | 05/21/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Claire Austin made very few recordings, choosing the life of wife and mother over a show-biz career. These tunes show what the music world lost through her choice. She has a richness, vibrancy, and depth to her voice which are nearly unmatched; her pitch is superb; and her interpretations are sensitive and resonant. This sounds heretical, but I prefer her work to that of Bessie Smith, Lizzie Miles, or Billie Holliday. The other musicians on this CD are up to the task of supporting her. Anyone liking traditional jazz or the blues will not want to miss this CD."
37 Years Later & Better Than Ever
Philip M Sharkey | East Lansing, MI USA | 10/16/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"One of my college roommates from the early 60's had a Claire Austin album which I truly loved. Selections from that album are included on this CD. It's everything I remember & more: the blues - full & robust - you can't ask for anything more."
No, that isn't Claire on the CD cover...
John Spritz | Portland, Maine | 01/06/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"...she looks much more like the workaday housewife she was. Oh yes, a workaday housewife with a spectacular blues voice. Like most everyone else commenting here, I stumbled upon her sound and thought -- where has she been all these years? Well, she made a few recordings and that's it.
Truly astonishing, that her big, lusty sound came out of Middle America and then, it feels like, was swallowed up again. So listen to this one, listen to the others, and feel good about having a new sound in your audio vocabulary."