What people search:
 | Title : Love Scenes
Author : Diana Krall
Release Date : 19970826
Binding : Audio CD
Regular Price : $18.98
Amazon.com Price : $12.29
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Editorial Reviews :
Like a mink draped over mahogany, Diana Krall's luxuriously supple alto adorns the vintage songs of romance and longing found on Love Scenes with a palpable aura of glamour and late-night cool. Her ostensibly effortless command of phrasing and intonation, whether the mood is seduction or a sweet sassiness, further fortifies the opinion that the Canadian vocalist-pianist possesses one of the great female jazz voices to surface in the late 1990s. Augmented by spare but skillful instrumentation from bassist Christian McBride and guitarist Russell Malone, Krall sustains a largely quiet (though hardly sleepy) ambience throughout the CD's 12 selections, from Irving Berlin's 'How Deep Is the Ocean (How High Is the Sky),' which she also uses as a showcase for her touch at the keyboard, to Gershwin's 'They Can't Take That Away from Me.' Her swing is artfully subdued ('All or Nothing at All'), and her wry, expressive approach to 'Peel Me a Grape' is pure charm. Yet Krall shines most luminously on languid gems such as 'I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You' and 'Garden in the Rain.' Anyone in search of an album ideal for watching city lights at 2 a.m. should keep Love Scenes in mind.
Buyer Reviews :
I have to admit I was suspicious of the hype surrounding Diana Krall's 'Love Scenes.' Just about everybody loves her. Almost overnight, Diana Krall became synonymous with 'jazz singer,' just as Frank McCourt became synonymous with 'Irish writer' after the publication of 'Angela's Ashes.' I suspect this caused a backlash among some jazz fans who (partly because of the nature of jazz, constantly rebuilding upon itself) are especially conversant in jazz lineage and eager to compare styles.
Well, just as Frank McCourt is not the last word in Irish literature, Diana Krall is decidedly not Billie Holiday (a ridiculous comparison) or Sarah Vaughan. In fact, not knowing too much other jazz vocalists might even enhance your appreciation of 'Love Scenes.' You have to appreciate her on her own terms; fortunately, this is easy to do.
So why is she getting the attention? For starters, her subtle intonations and phrasing expand the vocabulary of onomatopoetic words: Listen to 'Garden in the Rain,' and you'll hear the crisp fresh sound of springtime. Her vocal dynamics are superb, knowing when to pull back and when to let her voice soar. And her acheingly beautiful 'I Don't Stand A Ghost of a Chance with You' is the best version I've heard since Clifford Brown's instrumental masterpiece.
'Peel Me a Grape' is fun and sexy, but you'd have to be a bad singer to ruin Dave Frishberg's (1962) clever list of double entendres! ('New Thunderbird me, you heard me.') Still, Ms. Krall delivers the goods, and teasingly drops a couple of words as she stretches the words 'Peel Me....'
Her remarkable swinging but subtle piano can be overlooked: Just listen to the confidently daring solos on 'They Can't Take That Away from Me' and 'How Deep is the Ocean (How High is the Sky)' and you'll appreciate her artistry. The arrangements, as well as the comping on guitar (Russell Malone) and bass (Christian McBride) are consistently strong.
She's not as complex or blues-inflected as other vocalists, but she IS a superb jazz singer. Like the best jazz musicians, she adds new colors and shadings to standards, and swings both vocally and instrumentally. She is less the jazz vocalist on her recent 'When I Look Into Your Eyes,' which is overproduced, apparently overdubbed, and veers way too close to a bland pop style. Let's hope that future efforts are closer to 'Love Scenes,' a deservedly much praised album.
(by M. Allen Greenbaum)
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