Emma Clayton talks to the Skipton singer who is getting back to her first musical love for her brand new album 'These songs are like an old cardigan-youput them on and they feel comfortable and familiar."

Clare Teal, regarded as the country's first lady of jazz, is discussing the song choices on her new album, Get Happy.

Last year she moved into mainstream pop with her seventh album, Paradisi Carousel, but now, newly signed to W14 Music, she's returning to her first love, jazz. She pays tribute to classics such as Cheek To Cheek, The Very Thought Of You and Love For Sale, and blends innovative interpretations of more modern standards Love Hurts and Breaking Up Is Hard To Do with self-penned compositions.

The album has been described as a masterclass of Clare's song interpretation and vocal prowess.

"They're simple songs with good sentiments, " says Clare. "That's what the Great American Songbook was all about - songs we identify with. I love these old songs and wanted to make them as beautiful as possible."

She recorded the album in just a couple of days with her five-piece band. "That's how records used to be made, straight through with the band. It was great fun, " she says.

Clare, of Kildwick, near Skipton, is showcasing the album at Ronnie Scott's on Valentine's Day and touring this spring. Will she return to St George's Hall, following her 2006 gig? She winces at the memory.

"Oh God, it was during a big England World Cup match and there were about five people in the audience!" she cries.

"I'm planning some local dates later in the year, including Harrogate, but I'm not sure about Bradford yet."

At the age of just 34, Clare is on her eighth album and recently won her third consecutive British Jazz Vocalist of the Year award.

The former South Craven School pupil shot to fame four years ago, landing a multi-million pound Sony album deal.

She has won countless awards and is an established BBC Radio 2 broadcaster, having presented Clare Teal's Jazz Divas and deputised for Sarah Kennedy.

She's currently presenting The Big Band Special and Al Bowlly - Britain's First Pop Star, a series profiling the 1930s singer.

It was Clare's love of old black and white movies and the discovery of her grandmother's record collection that got her into jazz as a child.

"I found a big stack of 78s in the attic and was hooked, " she recalls. "I never told anyone I was into jazz though, it was far too uncool. I used to buy Smash Hits but really I was losing myself in music from the 1930s and 1940s."

Clare's singing didn't take off until she was a music student at Wolverhampton University, singing in jam sessions with friends. After coming second in a Billie Holiday soundalike competition, she went into session singing. "I sang advert jingles about mobile phones and kitchen fittings, it was good recording experience, " she says.

At the age of 27, fate stepped in. A pianist Clare knew needed a singer to perform alongside him. She jumped at the chance and it turned out to be her foot in the door of the music industry.

After making demos and guest-singing with jazz bands, she signed a record deal, and Michael Parkinson featured her album, Orsino's Songs, on his Radio 2 show. An appearance on his TV chat show led to Clare's Sony deal - the biggest ever awarded to a British jazz star. "Things went pretty mad after that, " she laughs.

These days she's one of the hot young bunch of jazz singers who have made the genre cool again. She joins the likes of Jamie Cullum, Amy Winehouse - who Clare appeared with at the Harrogate International Festival in 2004 - and rising talent Duffy as the modern face of jazz.

"I like both Duffy and Adele, whose new album I've just bought, but I wouldn't say either of them were jazz artists, " says Clare. "The great thing is that we have an amazing climate of female singer/songwriters, of various genres and we should celebrate that.

"I only worked with Amy (Winehouse) a couple of times but I love her work. She's a great talent, she just needs to look after herself."

Is the internet responsible for broadening the range of music younger people are exposed to?

"Without a doubt, " says Clare. "They're more open to different styles because it's all out there. There are so many preconceptions with jazz; for a long time people thought it was too avant garde to get into, but today's artists mix it around. With downloading, you can pick and choose what you listen to.

"I'm a big fan of iTunes; I like downloading different songs, that kind of cherrypicking brings you into contact with various artists. I didn't listen to pop when I was younger but I listen to it now, thanks to my iPod.

"Of course it means today's kids don't tend to have that pleasure of buying an album and making a connection with it, following the themes and moods running through. It's more about compilation these days. Then again, I could never afford albums when I was young. I just listened to my family's 78s!"

* Get Happy is released on February 25 on W14 Music. Clare is at Wakefield Theatre on April 23. For tickets ring (01924) 211311.