There is something about that is hard to ignore. Maybe it’s her voice. The way she plays guitar. The beautiful songs she writes or the fact that she’s released two glorious albums in less than a year. They feel like they could have been recorded anytime in the last 50 years. Built on solid songwriting and not fads. New album ‘Wishbone’ picks up where 2025’s ‘Rift’ left off, but things feel more intimate and personal. 

‘Go Getter’ is one of the standout tracks on the album. The piano is haunting, the guitar is glorious and the vocals are the chef’s kiss. When Mann sings “You called as soon as you heard that I was down. And I said, “Baby, didn’t you know I’m a real go-getter?”. And everything that I lose comes back around” You believe her, but you aren’t sure who she is talking to. Is it a lover? A friend or herself in a mirror? The recipient doesn’t really matter, as its such a powerful message. ‘Wishbone’ isn’t just an album of messages, but of key changes, as well as self-mantras. On the title track, there is a key change that you can feel coming, but when it hits, it HITS! After there is a lackadaisical run of notes that really make you smile before Mann’s graceful vocals deliver the knockout blow. Clever stuff.

Clara Mann is in the possession of a classic voice. She’s up there with Sandy Denny, Laura Nyro and the rest. On ‘Song For Joy’ she croons effortlessly. Barley above a whisper. Then she takes it up a notch, and a delirious lilting edge enters the performance and it’s something else totally. Then, a few phrases later, back to the original croon. Under this is picked guitars, gentle piano and way in the background a slow drum being brushed, instead of hit. It takes you back, and away, to a place where the key thing was songwriting and performance. Everything on ‘Song For Joy’ and ‘Wishbone’ is for the sake of the song, not Mann. It’s refreshing to hear.

At its heart ‘Wishbone’ is a collection of songs about love, loss, redemption and hope. It’s the hope that is the important part. ‘Wishbone’ feels like an album that is saying, “Things can get better, if you want them to”. After listening to ‘Wishbone’ you feel uplifted and positive. That’s not something you can say about a lot of albums released in 2026. Like the idea of positive thinking, ‘Wishbone’ is an album to take a chance on. Who knows. It might change your life…

8/10