Hey Ho

"After seven studio albums in eight years, twice-voted British Jazz Singer of the Year, Clare Teal, returns following a well-earned three-year breather with her ninth LP, Hey Ho. Named after a line in Noël Coward's 1928 standard "If Love Were All," the 14-collection suggests that the time away has sparked a newfound inventive streak, as while there are still the occasional jazz/swing staples like "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square," the Yorkshire-born vocalist has largely opted for a more eclectic range of cover versions, spanning not only several genres, but several centuries, too. Originally entitled ...Sings the Great British Songbook, the Grant Windsor-produced follow-up to 2008's Get Happy focuses on the songs written, performed, or inspired by British artists that she whittled down from over a thousand possible choices. While her renditions of musical adaptations by Herbert Hughes (W.B. Yeats' 1889 poem "Down by the Salley Gardens") and childhood hero Cleo Laine ("He Was Beautiful," the vocal version of The Deer Hunter theme), the Ivor Novello-penned show tune from West End musical Perchance to Dream ("We'll Gather Lilacs") and tracks originally recorded in the '30s by the Ray Noble Orchestra ("Try a Little Tenderness," "Love Is the Sweetest Thing"), all showcase Teal's warm, charming, and authentic jazz vocal presence, it's the material outside her comfort zone that provides the album's highlights. Backed by Latin percussionist Bosco De Oliveira, her cover version of Moloko's "Sing It Back" turns the late-'90s filtered house anthem into a seductive slice of samba worthy of a place in Sergio Mendes' back catalog; Teal offers her best Dusty Springfield impression on a breezy, Bacharach-esque, lounge-pop retooling of the Zombies' '60s psychedelic hit "Care of Cell 44"; while even Snow Patrol's ubiquitous "Chasing Cars" is given a new lease of life thanks to her classy, understated tones and gentle piano bar arrangement. Two original compositions also appear, "One More (Baby Be Good To Me)," a rare but convincing venture into Motown territory, and the mournful torch song, "Whole (It Isn't Like Me)," both of which suggest Teal can leave the covers behind, should she wish to in the future. While her pleasant but predictable previous output has offered little to get too excited about, Hey Ho is a surprisingly inventive but always tasteful effort which only cements her reputation as Britain's best commercial jazz-pop singer."
- All Music Guide