Dark Gift of Time
Always the bridesmaid, never the bride, Christine Collister is best known for adding fire as a backup singer for Richard Thompson and as one half of a duo with Clive Gregson. Changing all that with a 1994 live album and 1996'sBlue Aconite, Collister proved she deserves the spotlight. With Thompson and B.J. Cole providing support, her perfect nightclub voice adds pathos without flamboyance, tragedy without despair. She picks material with extraordinary care and the aim of an expert sportsman. Bruce Cockburn ("The Whole Night Sky"), Tom Waits ("Dirt in the Ground"), Nick Drake ("Black Eyed Dog"), Billie Holiday, Elvis Costello, and Robert Wyatt are among the featured writers. Collister gives each vocal her torchiest treatment. Most haunting is her own composition, "Always There," which uses a light sway to hide its sad truth.--Rob O'Connor