Diana Krall From This Moment On CD

Personnel: Diana Krall (vocals, piano); Anthony Wilson (guitar); Robert Hurst (bass instrument); John Clayton (bass guitar); Jeff Hamilton (drums); The Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra.
On 2006's FROM THIS MOMENT ON Diana Krall returns to both a repertoire of classics and to her big-band sound, and the move feels like something of a homecoming. Krall's vocal and piano performances ring with authority and elegance throughout; her subtle and sultry approach sounds effortless and unmistakably artful at once.
With a track list that includes "Little Girl Blue," "Willow Weep for Me," and "Isn't This a Lovely Day," one might worry that Krall is treading too-familiar territory here, but the Canadian singer puts her distinctive stamp on each of the 11 compositions. The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra provides some serious swing on the uptempo numbers, but it is Krall's gorgeous, melancholic ballad treatments that steal the show.
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 CollarEntertainment Weekly (p.78) - "[S]unnier than usual....John Clayton's arrangements add bounce and pack punch." -- Grade: B+
Down Beat (p.80) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "FROM THIS MOMENT ON finds her swinging through 11 love songs, and sounding more relaxed and confident than at any time in her 13-year recording career."
JazzTimes (p.66) - "Krall has always sounded impressively rich and unfailingly polished. Never before, though, have her vocals or her playing evoked such profound contentment and easy self-assurance."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.111) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[V]ocally she knows her way around a neatly turned lyric, her phrasing is immaculate and she's aware of light and shade in her delivery."