“Equally comfortable working the smart curves of Billy Strayhorn’s “Something to Live For” in a string-enhanced setting and giving off upbeat calls to activism on Marcus McLaurine’s “Stand Up,” Clairdee finds a fair amount to share about life in Horne’s time and in our own. A Love Letter to Lena isn’t merely a tribute to an artist from our past. It’s a statement about giving voice to what’s desperately need in the present.” (full review)
—Dan Bilawsky