Diana Krall Look Of Love CD

Asian exclusive version featuring a bonus CD Single with 3 tracks: 'Have Yourself A Merry Xmas', 'Xmas Time Is Here', & 'Jingle Bells'

Personnel includes: Diana Krall (vocals, piano); Claus Ogerman (arranger, conductor); Russell Malone, Romero Lubambo, John Pisano, Dori Caymmi (guitar); Christian McBride (bass); Peter Erskine, Jeff Hamilton (drums); Paulinho Da Costa, Luis Conte (percussion).
Recorded at Avatar Studios, New York, New York from Januray 22-27, 2001 and Capitol Studios, Hollywood, California on June 3 & 4, 2001.
THE LOOK OF LOVE won the 2002 Grammy Award For Best Engineered Album.
This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.
Personnel: Diana Krall (vocals, piano); Dori Caymmi , John Pisano, Romero Lubambo, Russell Malone (guitar); Jeff Hamilton , Peter Erskine (drums); Luis Conte, Paulinho Da Costa (percussion).
Audio Mixer: Al Schmitt.
Recording information: Avatar Studios, New York, NY (01/22/2001-06/04/2001); Capitol Studios, Hollywood, CA (01/22/2001-06/04/2001); EMI Abbey Road Studios, London, England (01/22/2001-06/04/2001).
Photographers: Jane Shirek; Bruce Weber.
Diana Krall has a good voice and plays decent piano, but this somewhat ridiculously packaged Verve CD seems like an obvious attempt to turn her into a pop icon, and sex symbol to boot. The bland arrangements by Claus Ogerman (who conducts the London Symphony Orchestra or the Los Angeles Session Orchestra on each track) border on easy listening, while Krall and her various supporting musicians, including John Pisano, Russell Malone, Christian McBride, and Peter Erskine (among others), clearly seem stifled by their respective roles. There are plenty of strong compositions here, including standards like "I Remember You," "The Night We Called It a Day," and "I Get Along Without You Very Well," but the unimaginative and often syrupy charts take their toll on the performances. What is even sillier is the label's insistence on attempting to photograph the artist in various sultry poses, which she evidently wants to discourage by refusing to provide much of a smile (the rumor is that she's not happy with this part of the business at all). If you are looking for unchallenging background music, this will fit the bill, but jazz fans are advised to check out Krall's earlier releases instead. ~ Ken Dryden
While there's no denying that jazz-pop star Diana Krall's movie-star good looks went a long way toward endearing her to mainstream America, that's just the tip of the iceberg. Just as undeniable are Krall's gifts as a pianist and singer. Far from a crass populist, she's a subtle, nuanced performer who approaches her craft with an excess of skill and knowledge. This is apparent from the very beginning of THE LOOK OF LOVE, when Krall tackles the overly familiar Gershwin chestnut "S'Wonderful" not the way countless jazz singers have done in preceding decades, but in a style influenced by Joao Gilberto, who recorded the tune years before in a simmering bossa nova mode. This marriage of canny craft and artistic inspiration is repeated again and again throughout the album. Most of the songs here have been trotted out countless times by Krall's contemporaries and (especially) predecessors, but her thoughtful phrasing and low-key dynamic shifts match her unhurried, pastel piano style on each tune to bring out something special at the song's core.

Entertainment Weekly (9/21/01, p.82) - "...The most romantic vocalizing she's ever done, the set benefits from the soft, subtle string backgrounds of legendary German orchestrator Claus Ogerman..." - Rating: A-
Down Beat (1/02, p.66) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...A clear success..."
JazzTimes (05/03, p.161) - "...THE LOOK OF LOVE is extravagantly lush, with endless velvet depths of violins..."