0786051501825. New condition. CD. 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. ~ Alex Henderson Rovi