You never know do you? As there is so much to listen to on Duets reviewed here I thought I’d add audio now above made available by the record company of ‘Carrying a Torch’ featuring Van Morrison with Clare Teal so readers can hear the song and not just read about how good it is.
To me it is definitely the best thing on the album and even better than the Hymns to the Silence version in the first place.
Clare is a fine Ella and Peggy Lee-influenced jazz singer in her own right excelling particularly on her releases on the Candid label and developing a strong record of achievement over a significant period of years both on indie and major labels but also, as here, moving beyond jazz into a unique space with wide non genre-specific mainstream music listener appeal. Her voice blends with Van’s just beautifully and makes the love song come alive quite magically. SG