"Dream" By DIANA KRALL

DIANA KRALL: "Turn Up The Quiet"

Original released on CD Verve B0026217-02

(US 2017, May 5)

Diana Krall spent the better part of the 2010s exploring byways of American song - her 2012 set "Glad Rag Doll" drew heavily on obscure jazz from the 1920s and '30s, its 2015 sequel "Wallflower" concentrated on pop and rock tunes - but 2017's "Turn Up the Quiet" finds the pianist/singer returning to well-known standards from the Great American Songbook. Reuniting with producer Tommy LiPuma for the first time since 2009's bossa nova-inspired "Quiet Nights", Krall works with a trio of lineups on "Turn Up the Quiet", alternating between a trio, quartet, and quintet. The album isn't divided into triads but rather gently shifts between these bands, a move that's sometimes imperceptible because the focus is firmly on Krall, the pianist. Her voice often operates at a hushed whisper - a decision that suits this collection of romantic, dreamy material; it also underscores the importance of the record's title - and that emphasizes her lithe piano along with the solo spotlights from her featured musicians. Krall gives her three bands plenty of space to shine - fiddler Stuart Duncan, in particular, stuns with his solo on "I'll See You in My Dreams," but there are nice turns from guitarists Russell Malone, Anthony Wilson, and Marc Ribot, along with supple playing by bassists Christian McBride, Tony Garnier, and Anthony Wilson - but what impresses is how these ensembles are all united in spirit and attitude, all thanks to their leader. Krall has a definite vision for "Turn Up the Quiet" - she wants to keep things smoky and subdued, a record for the wee hours - and the end result is so elegant, it seems effortless. (Stephen Erlewine in AllMusic)

DIANA KRALL: "From This Moment On"

Original released on CD Verve 80007323-02

(EU 2006, September 19)

Returning to the large ensemble sound of her 2005 success, "Christmas Songs", pianist/vocalist Diana Krall delivers a superb performance on 2006's "From This Moment On". Although having received a largely positive critical response for her creative departure into original singer/songwriter jazz material on 2004's "The Girl in the Other Room", here listeners find Krall diving headlong into the Great American Songbook that has long been her bread and butter. While she's always been a pleasant presence on album, Krall has developed from a talented pianist who can sing nicely into an engaging, classy, and sultry vocalist with tastefully deft improvisational chops. But it's not just that her phrasing and tone are well-schooled. Having long drawn comparisons to such iconic and icy jazz singers as Julie London and Peggy Lee, Krall truly earns such high praise here. In fact, tracks like "Willow Weep for Me" and "Little Girl Blue" are drawn with such virtuosic melancholy by Krall as to be far and away some of the best ballads she's put to record. Similarly impressive big swing numbers like "Come Dance with Me" showcase her muscular rhythmic chops both vocally and on the keys. Backing her here is the always wonderful Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, featuring some punchy and solid solo spots by trumpeter Terell Stafford, as well as the rhythm section talents of guitarist Anthony Wilson, bassist Robert Hurst, and drummer Jeff Hamilton. (Matt Collar in AllMusic)

WALLPAPER: "The Piano Sighs"

WALLPAPER: "Sensual Diana"

WALLPAPER: "Diana Krall"

KRALL's TRIBUTE TO THE NAT KING COLE TRIO

Original released on CD Justin Time ICD 8478

(CANADÁ 1996, March 12)

Pianist/vocalist Diana Krall pays tribute to the Nat King Cole Trio on her Impulse! set. In general, the medium and up-tempo tunes work best, particularly such hot ditties as "I'm an Errand Girl for Rhythm," "Frim Fram Sauce," and "Hit That Jive Jack." Krall does not attempt to directly copy Cole much (either pianistically or vocally), although his influence is obviously felt on some of the songs. The slow ballads are actually as reminiscent of Shirley Horn as Cole, particularly the somber "I'm Through With Love" and "If I Had You." Guitarist Russell Malone gets some solo space on many of the songs and joins in on the group vocal of "Hit That Jive Jack," although it is surprising that he had no other opportunities to interact vocally with Krall; a duet could have been delightful. Bassist Paul Keller is fine in support, pianist Benny Green backs Krall's vocal on "If I Had You," and percussionist Steve Kroon is added on one song. Overall, this is a tasteful effort that succeeds. (Scott Yanow in AllMusic)

Take Her Home Tonight

Original released on LP Verve 0602537905928

(EU 2015, February 2)

Diana Krall paid tribute to her father on "Glad Rag Doll", the 2012 album sourced from his collection of 78-rpm records, and, in a sense, its 2015 successor "Wallflower" is a companion record of sorts, finding the singer revisiting songs from her childhood. Like many kids of the 20th century, she grew up listening to the radio, which meant she was weaned on the soft rock superhits of the '70s - songs that earned sniffy condescension at the time but nevertheless have turned into modern standards due to their continual presence in pop culture (and arguably were treated that way at the time, seeing cover after cover by middlebrow pop singers). Krall does not limit herself to the songbook of Gilbert O'Sullivan, Jim Croce, the Carpenters, Elton John, and the Eagles, choosing to expand her definition of soft rock to include a previously unrecorded Paul McCartney song called "If I Take You Home Tonight" (a leftover from his standards album "Kisses on the Bottom"), Bob Dylan's "Wallflower," Randy Newman's "Feels Like Home," and Neil Finn's "Don't Dream It's Over," a song from 1986 that has been covered frequently in the three decades since. "Don't Dream It's Over" slides into this collection easily, as it's as malleable and timeless as "California Dreamin'," "Superstar," "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word," or "Operator (That's Not the Way It Feels)," songs that are identified with specific artists but are often covered successfully. 

Krall's renditions rank among those successes because she's understated, never fussing with the melodies but allowing her arrangements to slink by in a deliberate blend of sparseness and sophistication. It's an aesthetic that helps transform the Eagles' "I Can't Tell You Why" and 10cc's "I'm Not in Love," singles that are as successful as much for their production as their song, into elegant torch songs, yet it doesn't do much for Newman's pedestrian "Feels Like Home," nor does it lend itself to the loping country of "Wallflower," which may provide the name for this album but feels like an uninvited guest among these majestically melodic middle-of-the-road standards. These stumbles are slight and, tellingly, they put into context Krall's achievement with "Wallflower": by singing these songs as sweet and straight as the dusty old standards on "Glad Rag Doll" or the bossa nova on 2009's "Quiet Nights", she demonstrates how enduring these once-dismissed soft rock tunes really are. (Thomas Erlewine in AllMusic)