May 2009
A favorite of audiophiles because her music and voice lend themselves to purist recording techniques, Diana Krall perpetually sounds in great form on her recordings. She would be a star even without this advantage -- and in any era. She chooses repertoire wisely, often sticking to well-known American songs, her singing is low-key but expressive, and she plays piano with sensitivity and esprit. It's not her fault that her recordings are stellar in sonic terms and thus played to death as demo material. These two LPs display different sides of Krall's musical allure. The Look of Love is a studio-derived collection of sultry love songs, while Live in Paris shows how well she fares with a live audience, and it showcases her piano work. The cover of The Look of Love is an obvious attempt at turning Krall into a singing sexpot, but the music rescues her, especially the standards "I Remember You" and "The Night We Called It a Day." Live in Paris adheres closely to Porter, Arlen and Gershwin -- the collective Great American Songbook -- adding more contemporary tunes by Joni Mitchell and Billy Joel. It works, the French audience loving the America-soaked nostalgia. The sound, remastered by Bernie Grundman, is clear, spacious and well defined -- outstanding in every way, the backing players as vivid as Krall's voice and piano. The pressings -- two 33 1/3, 180-gram LPs per set -- are a half-tick below the very best, displaying a bit more groove noise, but the sleeves are the thickest I've encountered -- so thick, in fact, that they make removing and inserting the LPs a little more work. They are also a bit larger than normal and may not fit on tight shelving. The Original Recordings Group's catalog is small but set to grow with the release of a series of important vintage Verve and Impulse! recordings, each comprising a pair of 45rpm LPs, along with possibly Diana Krall's best collection, which is also on Impulse!: All for You, a tribute to the Nat King Cole Trio. These will push the limits in terms of pricing at $60 each and, based on The Look of Love and Live in Paris, in terms of sonic realism as well. GO BACK TO: |
Diana Krall - The Look of Love
Diana
Krall - Live in Paris