Album Notes

Biography

You know the feeling you get when you eat a freshly baked biscuit laden with real butter and honey? Only the right ingredients give you that down home flavor. Well, Clare Muldaur has that same effect on your musical palate - Clare has a timeless quality that's hard to come by.
The stage was set when Clare was born on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. Her father, a Blues singer and arranger led clare's ears in the right direction. Clare's life changed the day 9-year-old popped a Bessie Smith cassette into her Walkman. She listened to that tape so much; she had to buy a new cassette, and a new Walkman! At age 14, when everyone else was into Guns 'n' Roses, Clare was far more at home with the likes of Sam Cooke, Mildred Bailey, Elvis Costello and Dinah Washington. She started writing songs and won a scholarship to the summer program at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. It was here, at age 17,that she realized there was no turning back - she had to pursue music professionally. After high school, Clare returned to Berklee, where she studied jazz arranging and composition. She started her first band, which played around the east coast.

Clare lives in Brooklyn, moved to New York from LA where she co produced her first CD "Sweetheart" with Paul du Gre, featuring some heavy-hitters: Greg Leisz on pedal steel (of Joni Mitchell & Willie Nelson fame), Danny McGough on keys (from Tom Waits's band) David Jackson (upright bassist with Jennifer Warnes and Peter Case) Lionel Loueke (T. Blanchard and Herbie Hancock) and the sounds of Olivier Manchon's violin flowing through most of the tracks.

"Emotional Lab Toy," from "Sweetheart" is featured in the film "American Psycho 2," available on video now. She recently had her song "Sorry" placed in the upcoming feature "Extreme Dating." Another one of her songs, "Bus To You," is on an Epic Records compilation, sung and creatively arranged by her for a small ensemble of clarinets and strings with a rhythm section. The compilation is available in stores. Clare also contributed to a compilation of Mississippi John Hurt songs with sister Jenni and Geoff. You can also find her voice frequently on Mark Insley's release "Tucson" (Rustic Records) and on his following record "Supermodel", in stores now. Clare opened for Melissa Etheridge on the side stage at two venues in the summer of 2002. Also, she is featured singing a song, "At The Christmas Ball,"on her father's album, "Password."


Geoff Muldaur's new album "Private Astronomy" a vision of the music of Bix Beiderbecke is now out and Clare and sister Jenni sing with Martha Wainwright to back-up Loudon Wainwright on "Bless You Sister"- out on Universal records.

Clare's CD "Sweetheart" is now available at most tower records stores in Japan, along with many smaller Japanese record stores through Conc Records inJapan.

Clare release her second album "Bentley Circle" in July of 2003. It features Olivier Manchon, Stevie Gurr and Lionel Loueke. This record is more acoustic and the songwriting is at the highest level. "Bentley Circle" will be released in Japan soon. Clare's live shows are a hybrid of "Sweetheart" material and "Bentley Circle" material. She has recently opened for Chris Smither and Richard Shindell.

Clare sang 2 songs on the hit show "Arrested Development"

Clare is quickly emerging as a refreshing new talent. The youthful character of her voice has an interesting blend of angelic delicacy coupled with a playful quality. Some of her songs have a trace of the 30's, some bring to mind a sweet lullaby, some have frenchness weaving through them, and some are as catchy as they come... So, fill up your glass with some lemonade and whiskey, kick back on the porch and put on a Clare Muldaur CD.


Also, be sure to check out Olivier Manchon's CD, right here at CD Baby!