American singer and pianist Shirley Horn was one of Claire Martin’s greatest influences. In He Never Mentioned Love, Claire’s first album since Shirley died at the end of 2005, she pays homage with a set of songs from Shirley’s repertoire. To demonstrate what’s so great about The Heartache Queen, Claire sings her praises through her own piece - ‘'Slowly But Shirley'’. The 'silent spaces' she admired in Shirley’s performances have been assimilated into Claire’s singing style, particularly in her version of ‘'The Sun Died’', helped along by Gerard Presencer’s aching trumpet solo. In the quietest moments here and in the title track, every smile and every frown is audible in Claire’s luscious voice. Though this selection of songs is mainly slow – in tribute to Horn, who was renowned for performing at drop-dead tempos – Claire’s wonderful sense of dynamics and story-telling still shine through. She’s threatening and needy in ’'If You Go’', passiona...