Armed with a voice that The Nashville Rage has described as "awakening on a sunny morning, a breeze whispering through soft curtains . . . rumpled, a little seductive, and highly musical," Tennessee native, Clare Burson, independently released her full-length debut album, The In-Between, to much critical acclaim in the spring of 2003. This collection of 10 original songs has sold thousands of copies on-line and off the stage; it has landed on the 'best of' lists of record stores and radio stations in the U.S. and the U.K. and was reviewed as one of the top DIY recordings of 2004 by Performing Songwriter Magazine. Tracks from The In-Between were included on 2 widely distributed compilation albums and were featured on the television show Dawson's Creek. Irish singer Maura O'Connell chose to record Clare's song, 'Hold On,' for her 2004 Sugar Hill release, Don't I Know.
Following the success of her 2003 release, Clare and The In-Between producer/ multi-instrumentalist, Lex Price (Mindy Smith), set out to develop ideas for her next record. The result is her new EP, Idaho, a collaborative album recorded during the winter months of 2004/2005 with the help of David Henry (David Mead, Cowboy Junkies), Neilson Hubbard (Garrison Starr, Matthew Ryan), Fognode (Sarah Siskind, Cortney Tidwell), and Lex Price. The first of 3 limited edition EPs to be released over the course of the next year, Idaho clearly pays homage to the wistful melancholy of The In-Between. On this recording, however, driving rhythm tracks and darkly ambient electric guitar add a seductively assertive edge to Clare's elegant and plainspoken lyrics.
Albums like The In-Between and Idaho have and will clearly continue to establish Clare as songwriter of note. However, her first experiences with music were as a classical violinist and later as a bluegrass, irish, and klezmer fiddler. It wasn't until she left Tennessee to study history at Brown University that Clare began to teach herself the guitar and turn her focus towards writing and performing her own music. After college, open mike nights in Boston quickly translated into headlining slots and loyal followings both in the Boston area and in New York City. Simultaneously, series of very fortunate events led to the opportunity to record a 5 song EP, Undone, with L.A.-based producer T-Bone Burnett and Nashville-based singer-songwriter, Mark Collie. In 2001, Clare moved back to Tennessee, where she quickly garnered the respect, praise, and friendship of her fellow producers, players and writers whose credits include Josh Rouse, Patty Griffin, Mindy Smith, John Prine, Matthew Ryan, Lucinda Williams, and Alison Krauss.
In true 'indie' fashion, Clare has used her base in Nashville to build a career through word of mouth, strong recordings, and an increasing number of live shows that have taken her across the U.S. and into Canada and Germany. Currently located in Brooklyn, NY, she is busy rehearsing her new band, writing, and preparing head into the studio this summer to record her second full length album with co-producer Fognode. The current working title for the new project is The Imperfect Waltz.
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