References when my manager was laid off too

I worry a reference will only confirm dates of employment. I would rather hear the honest version than the polite one. I have one former client who liked my work. Is a client acceptable?

I kept a note of my results so my references could be specific. They appreciated it.

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 6 months ago, and it settled down once I kept a simple log of every call and form.