Multi-instrumentalist and powerhouse singer
Claudia Schmidt
has been bringing her blend of folk, jazz, and blues to audiences for some four decades now, and this 16-track set serves a sort of primer to her career. Collecting tracks from her five albums from
Red House Records
, and featuring guest spots from members of
Beausoleil
,
Violent Femmes
J.J. Farley & the Original Soul Stirrers
, and
Tom Waits
' crackerjack junkyard touring band, it shows that
Schmidt
is and was much more than a folk singer. It also spotlights her sharp songwriting, with only one traditional song ("Wayfaring Stranger") included -- the rest were written by
. ~ Steve Leggett