Carol Grimes - Mother (Irregular/CG) This is a seriously fine comeback album that really Delivers! (Pun intended - remember Carol's feisty contributions to the 70s blues-soul scene with Babylon and Delivery?) Long overdue as far as Carol's many fans are concerned, Mother absolutely screams quality - though sometimes with a whisper! It was released quite a few months ago now, and met with more than a modicum of critical acclaim, mostly on the jazz circuit, yet for some reason it hadn't surfaced from my backlog of review albums until comparatively recently. And it's another one that I'm sorry to have not picked up earlier, for it's a real cracker that I've been playing a lot. Carol's a true "vocalist's vocalist", and sensuous to the last in the Billie Holiday tradition (the only contemporary comparison I dare invoke in that field is Helen Watson); she gives her all in seasoned interpretative flair, authoritatively personalising each and every song in a sequence of twelve drawn from a variety of musical sources that range from Tom Waits (New Coat Of Paint), Ron Sexsmith (Gold In Them Hills), Randy Newman (Better Than Dead) and Shane McGowan (USA) to John Lennon (the title track). Carol also comes up trumps early on in the CD with one of the best versions I know of Sandy Denny's Who Knows Where The Time Goes? (and I've heard a good few in my time ...!) – set to a mysterious, magical, languid chamber-jazz-tinged groove. And Carol's version of Joni Mitchell's Two Grey Rooms turns out to be pretty amazing too. Whether in a jazzy-blues or folk-chanson setting, Carol's diction and phrasing are exemplary, demonstrating her aptitude.

Carol Grimes, vocals;
Ian Shaw, Hammond / Rhodes, vocals;
Greg Wain, guitars, vocals;
Steve Watts, double bass;
Stan Adler, cello;
Mark Fletcher, drums, percussion, fire extinguisher;
Annie Whitehead, trombone;
Josefina Cupido, percussion, vocals;
Elton Dean, saxophones;
Harry Becket, trumpet

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Artist: Carol Grimes Album - Mother Label - Irregular

Carol Grimes, something of a vocalist's vocalist, is a British blues singer with real heritage (having recorded since 1971), who at times can remind you of Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone, Doris Day or Janis Joplin.

Here, she interprets songs by a remarkable selection of writers: Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Sandy Denny, John Lennon, Randy Newman, Shane McGowan, Ron Sexsmith and Joni Mitchell. To her credit, she makes each her own, living inside the songs rather than simply giving a reading. If only everyone who has bought a Katie Melua or Madeleine Peyroux album could listen to the character that is supposed to be present in jazz and acoustic folk songs. The choice of edgy, humorous material works perfectly and each song is deftly arranged. The album equivalent of a glass of good red on a Sunday afternoon.

Mike Rea