The Claire Hamill Band-’A House Amongst The Trees -Progressive Voyages Review
The album cover from The Claire Hamill Band
I didn't know a lot about Claire Hamill other than she had been part of Wishbone Ash in the 1980's appearing on the1980 album Just Testing where she appeared on backing vocals and wrote the track Living Proof, She also appeared on the Number the brave album from 1981,
I've since discovered that she appears on The Steve zhowexalbum in 1979 where she sang on the track Look Over Your Shoulder. , Further research tells me that Claire git involved with the Channel 4 television programme The Art Of Kandscape for which she recorded a vocal interpretation of Pachabels “canon” which received considerable screen time in the early 1990’s.
Claire wrote the song You Take My Breath away which was covered by Eva Cassidy and appears on the Eva Cassidy album American Tune and also on The Best Of Eva Cassidy a d sold a lot of copies after Eva's early death.
However enough about past glories what's this album like, Inbshort its more prog adjacent than fully progressive, It consists of12 tracks and lasts for around 54 minutes in total, the music is a lot of upbeat tracks and a few slower more introspective numbers, For this album Claire's band are absolutely fine and dandy, they can sure play up a storm. As they do on several tracks like My Snakeskin lover and Ibtoxicated, which features Mark Abrahams of Wishbone Ash and David Knofpler (Dire Straits) on Wings Of Freedom where he adds Piano to this country rock style track. Obsession is another standout track with a driving rhythmnand lots of great guitar touches fills and lines peppered throughout, a great shortcomings grabs the attention as does the slide guitar from Sean Elliot, this man certainly can play and us literally burning up his fretboard here, its a remarkably assured and confident song that shows why this band deserve a listen, blistering
As is Your Name Is In The Wind which has a strong slide guitar line woven throughout its grooves, Claire is in excellent voice on the whole album,
This album is one who’ stature grows the more you listenn to it.
Don't Go Home Without Me is another excellent track with great lyrics, Much asI like the quieterc songs thecalbum really ignites of the more rocky tracks.
All We Have Is Now alsom8mpresses as it has a touch of The Beatles to these ears and it is allm5hevbetter for that, Again this song really impresses greatly, the lyrics are great and convey really depthnof emotion, the guitar from Seani s great too as he raises the roof with his fantastic playing here.
In short this is a fine set of songs with some truly great performances from the band especially Sean who burns very brightly here indeed.
I thoroughly enjoyed thiscalbum I have no hesitation in recommending it to all lovers of great music songs and performances.
Info here:https://clairehamill.bandcamp.com
Author John Wenlock-Smith Wednesday 10th June 2026.