"Seven years between CDs is too long for a talent as imaginative, as poetic and as sophisticated as Carla Helmbrecht's. She's hip without being frenetic, laid-back without sounding\ haphazard and, best of all, the lady swings without sweating. Helmbrecht has a benignly swinging voice, small of range but big of sentiment. She knows how to tell and sell a story, her voice ranging from whimsy to irony. With her clarity, she's the lyric writer's best friend. Good thing: She writes excellent words herself that hold up well in competition with the Bergmans, Betty Comden, Yip Harbug and Ray Noble. Her writing is like her singing: cool and kind." -– Harvey Siders, JazzTimes Magazine

"Her voice is very captivating and Ernie Watts is Great!" -– Steve Graybow, Billboard Magazine

"she exudes warmth in spades…An unusually gifted vocalist, impeccable phrasing… steeped in a swinging jazz sensiblity that reminds me of Mel Torme….Ernie Watts’ eloquent saxophone lines. Keep an eye and ear on Carla Helmbrecht; hers is a voice that we’re destined to hear in the future." -– Carol Archer, R & R Magazine

Carla Helmbrecht: Be Cool Be Kind CD Review By Jay Trachtenberg, The Austin Chronicle (6/15/01) "A thoroughly delightful album that features a voice of uncommon beauty. From the very first song, the self-penned title track, Ms. Helmbrecht had this heartless cynic wrapped up in her graceful charms. Her voice, possessing a slight sultry quality, exudes such an intimate warmth and embracing clarity that one is not so much enticed or seduced as simply welcomed into her songs.” http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2001-06-15/music_recviews6.html