References when my manager was laid off too - 9 weeks in

My manager was laid off too and I am unsure who to use as a reference. There are 5 people counting on me, so I am trying to be careful. HR only confirms titles and dates. Is a client acceptable?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 8 months ago, and it got easier once I kept a simple log of every call and form.