(Sunnyside, 2012)
New York Times: A Voice That Leaps Between Genres
Telerama France: The Miraculous Alchemy Between a Singer and Bass Player (See below for translation)
Portland Press Herald: Rebecca Martin Hits Another High Mark with Twain
Jazz da Gama: Rebecca Martin – TWAIN by Raul da Gama
Classiques Modernes: Changing Tides
CBC Music (Canada): 5 New Female Jazz Singers You Should Hear
The Kingston Times: Kingston, The Muse
NPR: 15 Jazz Albums To Look Out For in 2013
Tracking Wonder: Books that Matter to Rebecca Martin
“Ms. Martin is a vocalist with an earnest and unaffected style and a songwriter of unforced insight…the new album also highlights a shift toward original material and folky ambience by a generation of singers, some of whom see Ms. Martin as a touchstone.”
– Nate Chinen, “A Voice That Leaps Between Genres”, the New York Times
“Rebecca Martin may be of a school unto herself; the closest she might come to Americana would be such as the works of Sylvia Plath, Robert Lowell, Anne Sexton, John Berryman, W. D. Snodgrass and Allen Ginsburg. Twain is Ms. Martin’s Ariel; her Heart’s Needle, her Dream Songs.”
– Raul de Gama, Jazz da Gama
– Paul de Barros, Downbeat
“She’s a fascinating artist who wends her way through the genres of jazz, folk and pop while maintaining an individual and personal sound…Martins’ sound offers a comfort. But it’s an uneasy one that’s complicated be an artist’s eyes and ears and a writer’s knowledge…a distinct pleasure to hear.”
– Steve Feeney, Portland Press Herald
“As a singer, she has a sense of nuance that fits a spare setting well.”
– Patrick Jarenwattananon, NPR Music
“TWAIN: The miraculous alchemy between a singer and bass player” Rebecca Martin and Larry Grenadier are a couple who play together and separately, as he is also known for his key role as bassist in the Brad Mehldau Trio. We were introduced to them together through their enchanting disc “When I Was Long Ago” (2010 Sunnyside), where the singer totally reinterpreted standards with a spell singing verses rarely included in the reference versions. This time, the deputy is a pianist and a drummer, and the very discreet duo assert a familiar song (“Sophisticated Lady”) with others that are all original that sound old and with a unique intimate beauty. We cannot overstate the importance of sincerity, as with Rebecca Martin, it is built entirely in art. Her voice is that of the love and confidence of maternal comfort. How the bass lines support is love itself. Such a disk is something miraculous in the avalanche of vocal jazz.
– Michel Contat, Telerama France