Customer Reviews

Flippin' Out

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was lucky enough to get my hands on this album before it was available through Amazon. I loved it so much that I went back and bought her first album "Searching for the Soul", for which I posted a review urging everyone to check it out. Since "Flippin Out" is now available, I figure I may as well do the same here! So, here goes...

This is the perfect album for a bottle of red wine, a roaring fire, and someone special at your side. Extremely sensual performances from an extremely appealing young woman. "Flippin' Out" is a milestone type recording in which the seeds of a new musical genre are being sown. Charmaine Clamor calls it "jazzipino." I simply call it great music. This may be my favorite recording of 2007. What a singer, and what a band.

I was first attracted to this recording by the musicians, who are best known as the Grammy-winning trio that supports the superb Tierney Sutton. Once again, Christian Jacob, Ray Henry, and Ray Brinker show why they're the best such unit working in jazz music. They really shine. The singer they back here, Charmaine Clamor, could not be more different than Ms. Sutton. Where Sutton is clean, Clamor is dirty; where Sutton is angelic, Clamor is down low. But one thing is consistent: musicality of the highest level. I especially liked Clamor's sense of playfulness and mischief, as on "Candy" and "Sugar in My Bowl." And I felt the Filipino chanting was quite authentic, even though I have not previously heard this type of thing. I believe Sutton and Clamor would make an excellent double-bill, two ends of the musical spectrum brought together by a phenomenal band.

Finally, the song selection on "Flippin Out" is nothing short of remarkable. You get a U2 song, you get Filipino folk songs, you get Nina Simone, you get Keith Jarrett -- and they're all done in a completely original way. What a voice! Charmaine Clamor is my new favorite singer. I can't wait for more.

Politically incorrect as this sounds, the first time I heard Charmaine Clamor's voice on my local radio station, I made some (inaccurate) assumptions about her ethnic background. She has so much soul in her voice that I was picturing something very different from the beautiful lady on this CD! Finding out she is in fact Filipino blows my mind. I am Asian myself, so I feel qualified to say I have never heard an Asian woman sing with this strong of a connection to American blues and soul and swing. Charmaine really reminds me of Sarah Vaughan and Cassandra Wilson -- but she has something original about her, too: her Filipino heritage, which she explores with great pride on "Flippin' Out."

For me the heart of this CD is Charmaine's "Filipino Suite," where she sings in her native language of Tagalog. The word that keeps coming back to me is "haunting." Even if you don't understand her language, I predict she will give you goosebumps. The sincerity of her expression is that powerful. Her take on "My Funny Valentine," which she has rewritten as "My Funny Brown Pinay" is probably the most original and personal version of the song I've ever heard. It's a statement!

The band on this record swings like crazy. They should! Many of them play with the great Tierney Sutton, who, like Charmaine, has a very strong and personal point of view, a great jazz originality. The difference is Charmaine has so much soul...I just can't get over it.

"Flippin' Out" is one of the best recordings of the year, in my opinion. It's a journey with a real emotional arc. When you finish -- with the great Mario Lanza song "Be My Love" done as a whispery ballad -- it makes you want to start all over again.

Not sure what category Charmaine belongs in: jazz? world? blues? pop? folk? Maybe the highest compliment is that with this CD she's creating her very own category.

Early in the morning of Sunday, November 11, Charmaine Clamor stopped me dead in my tracks. I had listened to "Weekend Edition" on NPR on my way to my neighborhood coffee shop. Will Shortz's puzzle had ended as I pulled into a parking space, and as I was about to turn off the radio, I heard Charmaine Clamor's voice. I didn't much move for the next ten minutes.

The best review I can write about this remarkable jazz singer is to direct you to the NPR online archive. Listen to Liane Hansen's interview. Listen to the samples of Charmaine's "jazzipino" music, to her low, strong, beautiful swing. Listen to Charmaine's remarkable story, hear the emotion that comes through when she speaks almost as much as it does when she she sings. Then just try not to buy this CD.

Firstly I have to say that I completely agree with all the other reviwers..Charmaine she got it. I also have to admitt thatthis is kind of non objective review since I know Charmaine a little bit.
Anyway..it is for sure overwhelmiong to hear her sing with this compassion soul and yeah..groove feeling, a good example of this is of course Nina Simones tune "Sugar in My Bowl" which Charmaine does with a tremendous feeling for groove & soul,,and all this spiced up with that humoristic touch that you can hear in several of her songs,
Like the other reviewers I am also very fond of " My Funny Brown Pinay" (My funny Valentine) taken a bit more funky than usual and this version is really appealing.

When I listen I have the feeling that singingperforming those songs is just a natutal thing for Charmaine,,,everything is so obvious....piece of cake
The musicians that are backing Charmaine is all great players..as a jazzguitarist myself I really like the playing by guitarist Rickard Ickard

Finally I hope that Charmaine gets the recognition that she so well deserve..but a talent like her can not hide for long.

Anders Jonasson Sept 28 2007
Jazzguitarist/Sweden www.myspace.com/groovelick

In a world filled with interchangeable vocal canaries without an ounce of soul, Charmaine Clamor is in a class by herself. Her beautiful voice, which is surprisingly dark and sultry and possibly one of the most unique instruments to come around in a long time, is what first captures your attention. (She has a lot of Sarah Vaughan in her tone.) When you listen closely, though, you hear a genuine artist sharing her heart. She doesn't just sing a song, Clamor tells a story, and the results are often mesmerizing.

"Flippin' Out" is a groundbreaking album. First of all, the band is the same one that backs up Tierney Sutton, and they're incredible. One of the songs, "My Funny Brown Pinay," is overtly political, a powerful plea for equality and self-respect. It has a strong (and postive) point of view. Every other track on the CD is about a universal human emotion: loneliness, joy, lust, heartbreak, longing, contentment, and this hard-to-define feeling we call love. Clamor is a brilliant interpreter who lets listeners experience these feelings through her and her seductive voice. Even the songs she sings in Tagalog, her native tongue, are deeply moving to a non-Filipino. "Flippin' Out" is powerful proof that music is the universal language.

This recording is a journey. I felt transported to different times and places -- a smoky 1940s nightclub, a quiet country road, a mother's arms. The best complement I can give is that when I conclude the final track, a haunting rendition of the old Mario Lanza hit, "Be My Love," I want to start all over again and keep Charmaine Clamor's astonishing singing in my ears.

Charmaine Clamor is one of the brightest new stars on the jazz vocalist horizon. She is simply the most gifted, unique performer this listener has encountered in a long time. Not only is her well-trained voice luscious and beautiful in tone and range, but she also knows how to explore the heritages of jazz and her cultural background of the Philippines and marries all this with a sensuous communication that is irresistible.

Clamor mixes old standards such as `My Funny Valentine', `I Hadn't Anyone `Til You', `Candy' and `Be My Love' with some traditional Filipino folk music on this fine album FLIPPIN' OUT (double entendre intended!). The `standards' she imbues with her own brand of soul, substituting some words for Tagalog words, making these renditions purely her own: for instance, My Funny Valentine becomes My Funny Brown Pinay - Clamor's way of trumpeting the importance of her native land and country creating a language she terms `jazzipino'. Now, in some artist's hands these could be corny, but Charmaine Clamor is such a class act and has such enormous talent as both singer and stylist that she makes this work, so much so that she is bound to have imitators soon.

The instrumental backup on this CD is excellent: Christian Jacob, piano, Trey Harris, bass, Ray Brinker, drums, Julius Tolentino, alto sax, Ace Lagrimas, Jr., ukulele, Gustavo Garcia, percussion, Richard Ickard, guitar, Zaxariades, guitar/percussion/vocals, and the Pakaraguian Kulintang Ensemble on the folk songs in the spectacular `Filipino Suite'. The songs from the Filipino Suite will be new to many and they are some of the most beautiful new additions to the international repertoire.

But words fail when attempting to introduce music lovers to the new experience Charmaine Clamor offers here. She is beautiful, gifted, sensitive, seductive, and one of the most exciting performers to come around in years. This CD is a must for all music lovers of all genres. It is simply terrific! Grady Harp, August 07

Soft, poetic, yet powerful, this CD sings to you with heart, soul, and passion. Ms. Clamor is not only musically talented, but a hottie, too -- the total package. Anyone that enjoys beautiful music will feel fortunate to have this CD in their collection. I find that listening to Charmaine's sultry voice brings peace and tranquility into my stressful life. She's very soothing. Enjoy!

This incredibly talented and beautiful singer will change the way you think about so called "jazz" singing. She has taken a rather antiquated mode of music and made it her own. I hear a lot of soul and passion in her voice, which recalls people like Sarah Vaughan and Nina Simone. But Ms. Clamor has a sound and style that is all her own. She calls it "jazzapino" and even though I don't understand her native language of Tagalog, I feel each and every word. She is a uniquely expressive artist.

Charmaine Clamor does it again! Her beautiful and unique contralto voice sends listeners to heaven. Her newest CD is spectacular! Recently, I had the good fortune to see her perform many of the songs on stage. Wow! Her sultry voice and lovely lyrics reached out and touched each person in the audience. Charmaine Clamor mesmerizes listeners with her delicious, warm voice, almost like a warm, cozy, favorite wrap. This CD is a must for any music lover's library. Charmaine is simply sensational!

I got "Flippin Out" for Christmas! It's one gift I'm going to be enjoying for years to come. Charmaine Clamor can siiiing. This girl is soulful. I was not familiar with the Philipino songs, since the ones they play on the radio here tend to be "Candy" and "Sugar in My Bowl," but I enjoyed her World Music selections for their gentle healing quality. I think Ms. Clamor is going to be known worldwide and I'm excited to have her first two albums. She's special.