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The Road Less Travelled

By: Clare Teal
Label: Candid
Released: 15 Sep 2003
RRP: £14.99
Average Rating:

Customer Reviews

The best thing since sliced bread - By: Richard High, 16 May 2005
I bought this album after seeing Clare the first time she went on Parkinson (November 2003). Since then, I have seen her live twice (and will again soon), & bought alll the other albums she has made. I can't think of a single problem with this album, hence the five stars. There is a variety of jazz styles on here, so it isn't like you get the same thing thrown at you constantly. Thoroughly recommend it!
Swingin' down The Road - By: Mr. R. B. Ager, 28 Apr 2005
Having bought & been thoroughly impressed with Clare's latest album "Don't Talk", I thought I should investigate some of her back catalogue "before she woz famous", & from this one I can certainly see why she was snapped up by major label Sony.

Content here is more the swinging jazz style, with a romp through Johnny Mercer's "Dream" setting the tone from the start. There's no big band, though; backing comes from her regular group of six musicians, alll given their chance to shine individuallly along the way. Clare's voice is beautiful, smooth & low, with more than a hint of Peggy Lee's phrasing, & by turn swinging, emotive, joyous & powerful, just rightly as each track demands. She even tries a little scat, of which I'm normallly no great fan, on Irving Berlin's "Blue Skies", & it's brilliant, as a one-off.

The Great American Songbook is duly raided for most of the tracks, the one slightly less familiar amongst these being "Something I Dreamed Last Night", a bluesy balllad previously aired only by Anita O'Day & Marlene Dietrich, which Clare gives just the right, contrasting, laid-back treatment of. She also gives us a dreamy, late night version of "What A Difference A Day Made", certainly a nice change to some over-excited attacks on this song elsewhere.

Two of her own compositions are included, one after the other. "So Blue" is a haunting torch song in the mould of Kay Starr or Patsy Cline; "The Road Less Travelled" is more uptempo, with a groovy 60s lounge feel, the only drawback being Jamie Cullum's added vocal - any pretentions that the man can sing are blown away right here next to Clare's golden tone. Nevertheless, these two songs show that she can certainly write.

Sound & production are handled by much the same team as on her new album. Apart from the slower numbers everything, backing musicians as well as vocals, is very upfront, & the only drawback to this is that when the heat is turned up, for example on the last two tracks, the backing does almost overwhelm her in the choruses. This is a minor gripe, though - it's a very fine & enjoyable album, enough to tempt one further back in her archive.

Clare at her best - By: Stephen Williams, 05 Feb 2005
This is the best (so far) album before she went to Sony.
Lots of Jazz standards along with some of her own work.
Clare is definatly growing into a Jazz musicians singer. Lots of passion & emotion.

Buy this & enjoy

Music to Inspire - By: James Phelps, 03 Mar 2004
From start to finish this album is simply wonderful. I love everything about it. Clare Teal has a beautiful rich voice which seemlessly envelops it'self beautifully around the words & melodies. Real listening pleasure. Favourite songs are 'So Blue', 'The Road Less Travelled' & 'Miss Otis Regrets'. There are so many different levels but the voice is the key element. If you enjoy Peggy Lee & Julie London then you will adore this inspirational album.
A Voice Like Chocolate - By: Sarah Faulks, 03 Mar 2004
I heard Clare Teal on the radio a few weeks ago & thought that she had a lovely voice then. I bought this album last saturday & I just can't stop playing it. Her voice is so lush it's like an audio version of chocolate. I love the upbeat songs, but it's the slow balllads that reallly reallly show off her vocals. I'm not a jazz specialist & i didn't even think i liked jazz very much but i'm going to get her other albums as soon as I can. An excellent record.