One thing Claire Martin won't be accused of is having a conventional or unadventurous repertoire. On the superb The Waiting Game, she delivers an engaging version of Betty Carter's "Tight" and insightfully turns everything from Thomas Dolby's "The Key to Your Ferrari" to Joni Mitchell's "Be Cool" into acoustic jazz. "You Hit the Spot" and "Better than Anything" aren't standards, but the soulfulness Martin brings to these neglected classics indicates that they deserve to be. The unique and distinctive improvisor doesn't avoid standards altogether -- her heartfelt interpretation of "Everything Happens to Me" being a fine example -- but thankfully, she's not one to overemphasize them. Consistently, Martin's singing is as strikingly personal as it is expressive. by Alex Henderson
Tracklist:
1 You Hit the Spot 3:30
Mack Gordon / Harry Revel
2 Be Cool 4:45
Joni Mitchell
3 This Funny World 5:11
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
4 Better Than Anything 3:04
Bill Loughbrough / David "Buck" Wheat
5 If You Could See Me Now 3:42
Tadd Dameron / Carl Sigman
6 Some Cats Know 4:33
Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller
7 The Waiting Game 3:09
Claire Martin
8 It's Always Four A.M. 4:44
Ron Anthony / Sammy Cahn
9 The People That You Never Get to Love 4:12
Rupert Holmes
10 Tight 3:14
Betty Carter
11 Everything Happens to Me 6:51
Tom Adair / Matt Dennis
12 The Key to Your Ferrari 3:27
Thomas Dolby
Credits
Bass – Arnie Somogyi
Drums – Clark Tracey
Vocals – Claire Martin
Guitar – Jim Mullen
Piano – Jonathan Gee
