Clare Teal - That's The Way It Is (2001)

Relaxed and lithely swinging, Clare Teal places a pleasingly modern slant on some attractive songs on That's The Way It Is. Her strong voice is warm and confiding, her phrasing exemplary and she knowingly mines the potential of the lyrics. The song selection is nicely balanced between originals ("Haber, The Receiver" and "Circle Moon"), standards (such as "Night And Day", "Ill Wind" and "Speak Low") and lesser-known songs from the past. Among these is "That's The Way It Is", a 1940s hit for Ella and the Ink Spots that stands up remarkably well to Clare's contemporary-eye view. The Hoagy Carmichael classic, "How Little We Know", is given a sexy Latin beat recalling the song's reprise in the closing sequence of the film To Have And Have Not. A team of top-flight London session musicians back Clare's vocals and nice solo spots come from Martin Litton's piano and Trevor Whiting's tenor saxophone, the latter supplying an effective lift to "Sleep, Little Man". --Bruce Crowther