This live recording has become one of our favorites to play at the traditional Sunday family dinner.  The smooth and melodic chords are enhanced beautifully with Allison Scull's trained with grace vocals.   From the first appetizing note of "Esperanza", the intonations of Allison's voice are well executed, while maintaining a fresh feel----much like a mix of crisp salad, spilling with color and mouth watering coolness.    Allison & Victor's cover of "Time After Time" is fresh and familiar, like the warm, baked bread accompanying a superb meal.   Throughout these songs we are treated to Victor's mesmerizing saxophone playing.  He is the mood master.  Their cover of Bob Marley's "Waiting In Vain" is a prime example of that.  Victor Martin's honest display of musicianship is second to none  He takes this one to heart, and then generously gives his all to each of us.  Perhaps the most dramatic song of this recording is "My Room."   The fabulous deep bass playing sets the clock for this poignant vocal display by Allison.   She sings with quick confidence, yet a sensual vulnerability helps carry the song and spirit to another place.   These two songs balance perfectly as the main course of the meal.    The interaction with the audience during "Sugar Mama" is light and comedic---like good conversation;  and Victor's laugh is simply infectious.     From there we are flavored with a delicate dessert of "Les Feurilles Mortes," as Allison tantalizes us with her mastery of multilingual musicianship.     Overall, these songs make the kind of meal that fully satisfies you, yet will invite you crave it again and again.    --Westly Stevens.
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Guitar and saxophone? Jazz, right? What if we add acoustic guitar and vocals? Folk, maybe?

That is the challenge facing Allison Scull and Victor Martin ---- just what do you call their music?

"Magical" would be a good place to start. Martin's warm tenor sax provides a surprisingly complementary foil to Scull's folky guitar and vocals.

We"ve heard that combo before, of course: Al Stewart's mid-1970s hits "Year of the Cat" and "Time Passages" both featured saxophone solos, as did Gerry Rafferty"s "Baker Street."

But what makes this different is that Martin remains firmly ensconced in the jazz idiom in his playing; he's not playing R&B a la Clarence Clemons behind Bruce Springsteen ---- he's playing jazz saxophone as accompaniment to Scull"s folk guitar and singing.

And it works.

It"s not all Martin, obviously. The reason his jazz lines work so well with Scull's folk approach is that her guitar playing is lithe and complex, much more so than that of most folkies, and able to serve as foil for his sax passages.

Their second release, "Live," was recorded in front of an appreciative audience in Northern California and with the addition of percussion and bass to fill out the sound.

As with their 2002 debut, "From the Back Burner," "Live" finds the duo playing mostly original songs written by Scull with a few covers. And as with their debut, it is the original songs that provide the most memorable moments. There's nothing wrong about their covers of Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time," Bob Marley's "Waiting in Vain" or Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Corcovado" ---- but these are songs that have been covered to death.

It's on songs like "Esperanza," or "My Room," or "Sugar Mama" that we hear the magic that is Allison and Victor, that we hear the interplay between two musicians, one folk and one jazz, who share a creative wavelength.

Allison Scull and Victor Martin perform at Beaumont's in Bird Rock at 8:30 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. Sunday

---- Jim Traegser, North County Times, San Diego, CA 
May 11, 2006
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I'm usually not into live releases. Why buy live versions that don't sound so great when you've already got better recordings from the studio, right? Not so in this case. If you've experienced Allison's earlier releases then you'll want this one too. There are only a couple of previously released songs on this CD and they sound very different here anyway. I especially like the bass that is added on this live release. It is cranked up good and loud like a bass should be. Too many bands hide the bass in the background. Not here. I love it and you will too.
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"Allison Scull & Victor Martin Live" Allison Scull and Victor Martin. 

Mount Shasta singer-songwriters Allison Scull and Victor Martin have been finding a blend of laid-back folk and jazz for years in the north state. They captured an inspired evening of their work in this new CD recorded at Rare Images Gallery in Mount Shasta. 

Five of the nine tunes on the album are written by Scull, whose warm, sincere voice intertwines with Martin’s clear, tasty saxophone leads. Martin also shows his vocal prowess on somber-sweet version of Bob Marley’s "Waiting in Vain." Another highlight is the duo’s cover of Cyndi Lauper’s "Time After Time." 

Of Scull’s songs, driving "My Room" soars for nearly seven minutes to become perhaps the CD’s strongest track. It’s followed by "Sugar Mama," a fun tune that reveals Scull and Martin’s happy banter with their audience...

Bassist Bill Vallaire, conga player Joe Furnari and guitarist Rick Garrett assist on the performance. 

The record is an excellent grab for those who have enjoyed Scull and Martin’s live shows. Visit www.allisonandvictor.com.
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