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Diana Krall - The Girl In The Other Room
Audio CD (April 27, 2004)
Original Release Date: April 27, 2004
Format: Enhanced
Label: Verve
Bitrate: 320 kbps
Singer/pianist Diana Krall breaks new ground interpreting modern standards by Tom Waits, Mose Allison, and Joni Mitchell, as well as compositions by herself and new husband, Elvis Costello. Krall's piano-jazz cred comes through loudly and clearly on her Count Basie-styled version of the Bonnie Raitt staple "Love Me Like a Man" (written by folk-bluesman Chris Smither). But it's the collaborations with her spouse that unearth untapped emotional nuances of her velvet voice; many are reminiscent of Bill Evans's moody, impressionistic pieces. The title track, "Narrow Daylight," "Abandoned Masquerade," and "I’m Coming Through" all deal with love and loss. "Departure Bay," a picturesque ode to her hometown of Nanaimo, B.C., proves that this is the start of something big, and that two heads--and hearts--are better than one. ~ Eugene Holley Jr.
Hard to believe after listening to this outstanding album that a few years ago Diana Krall was tweaking the 1940s-vintage Nat King Cole trio formula, sounding more often than not like a breath of fresh air inside a traditionalist retro-jazz mode. After several similiar albums Diana showed she was willing to break out of her musical comfort zone with the orchestrated bossa-driven THE LOOK OF LOVE. Yet that out-of-the-box experience hardly prepared us for THE GIRL IN THE OTHER ROOM, which for the most part offers all-new material, much of it composed by Diana Krall herself (often in collaboration with her brilliant spouse Elvis Costello). It's only a little exaggeration to say she's gone from the Y1K to the Y2K great American songbook.
The LOOK orchestrations are gone, the small jazz combo format is back but with drums included full-time. Overall the sound retains the attractive jazz elements of her past (swing, improvisations), but at times takes a tougher, bluesier stance. Diana's voice takes the lead in this area, sounding slightly worn but in a good, emotively-compelling manner that matches the depths of the excellent compositions. Speaking of the sophisticated tunes, without exception they manage to twist melodies and lyrics in fresh directions. Amazingly, the sum total of this disc bends the rules without breaking the spirit of Diana's best past efforts, managing to be instantly attractive yet certain to reward repeated listens no doubt for years to come.
The album mixes mid-tempo tunes with elegant ballads, no less bold and artistically successful as recent eclectic CDs by the likes of Cassandra Wilson. Furthermore, as much as I loved all of Miles Davis' transitions throughout his career, I admit that he tended to lose fans along his journey. But at this point, I'd say that Diana's managed to evolve in a manner that will keep her long-time fans on board while adding new ones. In fact, speaking of Miles I was thinking this may be Diana's KIND OF BLUE (relatively speaking). Overall, THE GIRL... shows off Diana Krall completing the transition from exquisite interpreter to an artist with an original, timeless vision of her own. Now, if anyone has a different opinion and can offer constructive criticism as opposed to a string of insults, I'd be interested in reading it. ~ J. Lund
Personnel Jeff Hamilton
Diana Krall - vocals, piano
John Clayton - bass
Anthony Wilson - guitar
Neil Larson - Hammond B-3 organ
Also: Christian McBride, Peter Erskine, Terri Lynne Carrington
Diana Krall - The Girl In The Other Room Tracks:
01 Stop This World
02 Girl in the Other Room, The
03 Temptation
04 Almost Blue
05 I've Changed My Address
06 Love Me Like a Man
07 I'm Pulling Through
08 Black Crow
09 Narrow Daylight
10 Abandoned Masquerade
11 I'm Coming Through
12 Departure Bay
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