Clara Junken - Out to See

This woman can sing. My God. The CD starts out commanding my attention with the song, “You are the Sun” – a wailing slide guitar, and Clara making it very plain that she can express her pain vocally with an instrument that falls somewhere between Fiona Apple and Eva Cassidy. “Selfish Soul” makes me think she could have been the alternate vocalist for the band Heart. There is no fear in this voice, she liberates the wild Artemis. You know that female vocal by Clare Torry at the end of the Pink Floyd song “Great Gig in the Sky,” from the album Dark Side of the Moon? Like that. “Body of Mind” repeats the lyric “Body of mind/don't die”, her voice cascades over the chorus-effect guitar, moody and mind-altering, soaring.

“Out to See” is where her Eva Cassidy side comes through, womanly and beautiful. “Middle of May” starts out a cappella, very solemn, like an old folk song, and then goes into a really interesting drum beat, and an evocative vocal. I wish the word 'epic' wasn't so overused now, because it describes this atypical composition. “Flye Point” starts out a bit like an old Rascals tune, a little soul, a little rock and then goes Jefferson Airplane or Fleetwood Mac. “Brown Eyed Man” starts out slow and sad and then starts flying. Really nice drum work on this one. This album is exceptional – it is wonderfully produced, and every musician, and every bit of vocal support is just excellent. Love the cover art too. Clara is truly a ONE IN A MILLION talent.