In the mid seventies I was drawn to an album cover in a renowned record shop over the river from me in Middlesbrough. Indeed the album cover had an image of the iconic transporter bridge on it something which Middlesbrough is most associated. Also in the picture was young lady sat on the axle of a railway bogie. I am of course speaking of her iconic debut alum One House Left Standing.
To say this was a haunting image is an understatement. I bought the LP and played the grooves off it till it was stolen from my haversack a few years later. Claire Hamill however, remained with me for all of the years since. A prolific songwriter, singer and guitar player Claire throughout the years gained some rather impressive credentials not least in the sphere of Progressive Rock.
Back in the mid 1970’s Claire toured with Procol Harum, Jethro Tull and also worked with King Crimson. Later she also worked on the album Friends Of Mr Cairo by Jon & Vangelis as well as singing in Steve Howe’s second solo album.
The list is endless. Even in more recent years Claire has been supporting bands like John Lees’s Barclay James Harvest and working with Wishbone Ash. In fact, it was an introduction by a Wishbone Ash fan between Claire and Sonny Flint, who had played drums for Martin Turner previously that formed what is now Claire Hamill Band.After writing a couple of songs together Sonny enlisted guitarist Sean Elliott and bass player John Nicholls to form the nucleus of the band. Less than a year on from the band’s debut album Troubadour the band released their follow up album A House Among The Trees. 55 years on from Claire’s own debut album released in 1971, the title of her latest venture is a homage to what has become an iconic recording.
Often compared with the likes of Joni Mitchell, though Claire Hamill is very much an English rose as is evident in her finely honed presentation and enunciation in her voice and words.Claire Hamill has never been an artists that you would need to sell to me. She does that all on her own with her fabulous compositions and grounded presence when ever I have seen her play live. This however is my first experience of Claire Hamill Band. Arranged, recorded and mixed by drummer Sonny Flint who also plays bass, keyboards, harmonica and guitars, the album was mastered by bass player John Nicholls. I have to commend them on doing so as the sound quality throughout this recording is first class.
Staring off with heavy drum beats of The Beautiful, the purity of Claire Hamill’s voice still astounds me. The power and subtlety in both extremes hasn’t aged a bit. The Beauty really is a reflection song and drifts the listener back to more simplistic days on the planet when the word responsible didn’t feature much in a person’s life. Despite it’s levity the song ends with a heavily plucked bass line.
With an opening worthy of any Mott The Hoople song, It’s Really You has a definite rock edge to it. Co-written with Sonny Flint this song flows nicely thanks to a firm Hammond organ and Sean Elliott’s fine guitar playing.
Iv’e always thought that sequencing was everything with songs throughout an album and I have to commend the band for that as My Snakeskin Lover follows on really well form the previous song. That said, this song trades a little of it’s rocky nature for that of a more country feel to it. The song also has a strong Al Stewart vibe about it too. Claire Hamill’s voice adapts to any genre she cares to be part of and that shines through throughout the whole of A House Among The Trees. Sonny Flint’s drums add gravitas to this song and stand out of the mix in a very pleasing way.
Without doubt my favourite song on the album is The Werewolf And The Maiden not least because it is the least conventional. The song’s whole storytelling aspect of the song lends itself to being a long form piece. Could this have been Claire’s brush with Prog in her past? It is a total joy to listen to from beginning to end. Hammond organ yet again laying a great foundation for Claire’s vocal range and chiming acoustic guitars. The longest song on the album at seven and a half minutes it is the longest track on the album yet still in my opinion radio friendly.
In contrast, Wings Of Freedom had me reflecting on the late Judy Dyble. I often think that Claire and Judy’s vocal styles are very similar. Of course they both had one thing in common in that they had both worked with King Crimson in the past. Featuring David Knopfler (ex Dire Straits) playing grand piano and Hammond organ. It has to be noted that this lyrically empowering song makes the best of the clarity afforded to all of the instrumentation in the recording, mixing and mastering of the album, let alone the capturing in focus of Claire Hamill’s voice.
Carrying forward with such clarity is Up To The Moon. The sumptuous bass and the warmth of the Mellotron string sample carry this gentle folk song along before moving quickly into a more powerful conclusion by the solid drums and total cohesion of the band highlighting the quality of their playing.
In a slightly more up tempo vane is and jaunty Obsession. Once again the jangly chimes of the acoustic guitars and the inclusion of slide guitar lends the song a country vibe. It’s a bright and breezy song with some great guitar playing by Sean Elliott.
There are more gems to be found on the album in addition to those mentioned above, though I have to commend Claire and the band for playing a blinder by including a choir in the finale that is All We Have Is Now. Somewhat anthemic in so many ways and a great way to end an album.
There are some wonderful guitar breaks by Sean Elliott, Though ultimately it is the lady singing the words that made this old man tear up. Something that struck me when I first listened to this song was that in certain ways that Claire sings it, I could well imagine Johnny Cash singing it too. Such are the song-writing skills of Josephine Claire Hamill.
It is a foregone conclusion that A House Among The Trees will be included in my favourite albums list of 2026. There’s no stopping the woman. She is a force of nature and this album is up there with the best that she has recorded. Powerful, emotive and exciting.
To hear this album at it’s very best I would suggest you buy it in the best format you can get so that you can fully appreciate it’s production quality.
For those of you out there in proper music world who simply love the femininity of the female vocal genre, this album is a must. For those who love the music of Carole Beyer Seger, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon, Carole King, I say this, For those of you who might like the music of Claire Hamill, you might like this, Carole Beyer Seger, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon, Carole King.
The girl from Port Clarence and her band did good!
You can buy the album and learn more about it, Claire and the band at……
Clairehamillband.bandcamp.com
Images of Claire Hamill courtesy of John Barrett
Images of Claire Hamill Band courtesy of Christina Brandenberg With full permission.
