Wednesday, April 28, 2004
Diana Krall CD reviewed
While most reviews focus on how her recent marriage with Elvis Costello and her mother's death affected her new CD, I want to focus on the music. I personally prefer Krall do covers of jazz standards because there's something special about her delivery of those tunes - be it swinging, expressive, playful, and sassy, she's got it all down!
The first thing that struck me about The Girl in The Other Room is Krall's relatively weak songwriting. Not to say she's a bad songwriter. But at times, she's too consciously thinking about "I wanna be the next Joni Mitchell" she loses track of what songwriting is all about. The result of some of her original songs is superficial and unimpressive (the last 3 tracks). Her husband, Costello, isn't helping either. My vocalist friend Pam Bricker says of Costello, "Finally, his pretentiousness will shine in Krall's next album." True enough, Costello is known for his academic pretention and pseudo-jazz knowledge (take his album North for example). This time around, his artsy-fartsy, grandiose lyrics only make things worse. On some of the already unmelodic tunes, Costello's ostentation renders them sound like funeral marches.
OK, the album isn't all bad; it's actually more good than bad. One of Krall's compositions, "I'm Pulling Through," is actually pleasant, and it flows like "Two Lonely People." The rest is Krall's strong suits, covering Mose Allison, Joni Mitchell, Chris Smither, and Tom Waits brilliantly. Notably on "Love Me Like a Man," Diana can sing and swing the blues effortlessly, with strong rhythm support from Christian McBride and Jeff Hamilton.
I think what makes Krall different from the rest of wanna-be jazz singers is her ability to swing hard!! The album lacks that aspect and is filled with meticulously calculated boredom. If you're into that and long space, you are entitled to think it's a good change for Krall. However, in my book, I like it best when she swings her ass off as in Live In Paris.
I heard from an inside scope that the best and most authentic French restaurant in DC is Bistrot Lepic on Wisconsin Avenue. Has anybody tried it? What's your rating?
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The first thing that struck me about The Girl in The Other Room is Krall's relatively weak songwriting. Not to say she's a bad songwriter. But at times, she's too consciously thinking about "I wanna be the next Joni Mitchell" she loses track of what songwriting is all about. The result of some of her original songs is superficial and unimpressive (the last 3 tracks). Her husband, Costello, isn't helping either. My vocalist friend Pam Bricker says of Costello, "Finally, his pretentiousness will shine in Krall's next album." True enough, Costello is known for his academic pretention and pseudo-jazz knowledge (take his album North for example). This time around, his artsy-fartsy, grandiose lyrics only make things worse. On some of the already unmelodic tunes, Costello's ostentation renders them sound like funeral marches.
OK, the album isn't all bad; it's actually more good than bad. One of Krall's compositions, "I'm Pulling Through," is actually pleasant, and it flows like "Two Lonely People." The rest is Krall's strong suits, covering Mose Allison, Joni Mitchell, Chris Smither, and Tom Waits brilliantly. Notably on "Love Me Like a Man," Diana can sing and swing the blues effortlessly, with strong rhythm support from Christian McBride and Jeff Hamilton.
I think what makes Krall different from the rest of wanna-be jazz singers is her ability to swing hard!! The album lacks that aspect and is filled with meticulously calculated boredom. If you're into that and long space, you are entitled to think it's a good change for Krall. However, in my book, I like it best when she swings her ass off as in Live In Paris.
I heard from an inside scope that the best and most authentic French restaurant in DC is Bistrot Lepic on Wisconsin Avenue. Has anybody tried it? What's your rating?
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