The Critics on John Clare's Dream
Scott Still Maintains a High Standard
Birgitte H. Mandelid
Dagbladet
With her fifth album, Claudia Scott keeps her position as Norway's foremost performer in her genre, and she is quite alone in mastering the field in which she operates.Scott's pop rock has roots in traditional Americana, but in dialogue with her longtime collaborator Erik Honore's modern production and live samples, her music also looks outwards and ahead to the future. "Melancholy and Me" is painfully beautiful, "Lazy Afternoons", relaxed and laid-back, while "A Storm's Coming", like nature's forces, simultaneously rhythmical, deliberate and reserved, The acoustic approach suits Scott's natural voice very well, whether she's belting it out or subtle and warm. The result is a open and unostentatious album. It is making it sound so easy, - so effortless - that is Claudia Scott's strength.
The Real Thing--Recommended!
Terje Haugen
Dagningen
Claudia Scott has done well as a solo artist. On her fifth album you can hear why. She keeps, with no doubt, high standards as a writer and still sets her goals high as a singer. On this album she has successfully chosen to explore acoustic sounds, and as a result, her voice is in the foreground, where "Lazy Afternoons" is a good example. The album's laid-back, sophisticated ambiance rules over the eleven songs of the album. The title track, "John Clare's Dream," is a fine tribute to the English poet of the same name, and also one of the album's many strong pearl candidates. This is a diverse piece of work, both in regard to content and lyrics, where the choice has been to take elements from both jazz and roots and mix them together, without choosing any particular genre. But it sounds real and has enough substance to fascinate a listener.
Intimate and poetic
Geir Hovensjų
Ostlendingen
The difference between Claudia Scott and most other Norwegian singer/songwriters is plainly that she is the best. On her (fifth) album she has taken the music completely down and given it an acoustic approach, with added flying sample sounds that create a kind of dreamy mood, just as Vidar Busk on his last albums, but of course completely different. Claudia performs her songs with confidence and frames them in an original, imaginative and unique way. It sounds real and honest, the way it's meant to be. The title track is a tribute to the English poet John Clare (1793-1864), and poetry is a significant element in Claudia's music.
Acoustic Pearls: Refined and Eclectic
Claudia Scott's career as a solo artist topped in the nineties. Her new album, which is being released today, is more acoustic than before. it perfectly suits her music and makes her even more visible as a fine songwriter. She varies the mainstream of folk-oriented tracks with excellent vocal jazz segments like "Melancholy and Me" and "Lazy Afternoons," which give the album variation and nerve, in the same way the piano and violin accompanies the guitar-based music. Claudia's expressive voice is nevertheless in focus. One of the finest tracks on the album is the title track, "John Clare's Dream," where she pays tribute to the English poet John Clare. But also the more quiet "On my Own" makes a deep impression. Throughout the entire album the use of percussion and very discreet electronica helps create the necessary contrast to the enticing sound that dominates the album.
