Diana Krall: The Look of Love

The career path she seems to have chosen must trouble jazz fans who have tracked Diana Krall’s meteoritic rise to stardom. Increasingly, emphasis is placed not on her talents as a fine mainstream jazz pianist, but on her smoky voice and obvious physical beauty. Her song choices border on the pedestrian, the arrangements have become tamer, she solos less and her trademark vocal delivery runs the risk of tumbling into self-parody. Sadly, Claus Ogerman's bossa nova-tinged orchestral arrangements leave little room for Krall’s high-priced supporting cast. All-stars like bassist Christian McBride, guitarist Russell Malone and drummer Peter Erskine are reduced to anonymous sidemen. That said, Krall's follow-up to 1999's When I Look in Your Eyes is a lush, if somewhat sleepy, trawl though 10 well-known (well-worn?) ballads that are sure to please incurable romantics everywhere. Is it too soon for record stores to move Krall from the jazz section to the pop/easy-listening bins? Let’s hope not. ###