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Product Description
Review
Being a new mother of twins must play havoc with recording sessions. So, it's not surprising that Canadian singer Diana Krall has chosen to leave the Steinway buried under babygros for the time being, and release her first volume of greatest hits.
Of her dozen albums, six are represented here, including The Look of Love and When I Look in Your Eyes featuring the London Symphony Orchestra; and Christmas Songs with bassist John Clayton's orchestra. These orchestral arrangements are at the schmaltzy end of the spectrum, but thankfully they're balanced by a fine selection of trio and quartet numbers. The bluesy "Frim Fram Sauce" and David Frishberg's "Peel Me A Grape" ooze attitude and sexiness. Diana's piano accompaniment is carefully controlled and her occasional solos have a spark of sassiness in their bold changes of rhythm and mood.
Disappointingly, none of the tracks written by Ms Krall and her husband Elvis Costello (and previously released on The Girl In The Other Room) appear on the CD, but they are on a limited edition bonus DVD. Diana really seems to connect with these songs. The title track is sung with feeling, sometimes in mumbles and whispers, and her piano solo mixes lyrical runs with funky swing. "Narrow Daylight" is a moving singer-songwriter ballad - catchy without being commercial - and makes the most of Ms Krall's smoky vocals, while "Almost Blue" is sultry and raw: played against wintry outdoor scenes from Diana's native Vancouver Island.
At times, Diana looks out of her comfort zone in the videos here. In "Let's Face the Music and Dance" she breezes uncomfortably between lovey-dovey couples at a posh party, and, although there's no questioning the musicianship, the live sessions filmed in a living room seem staged and wooden.
Every `Best Of' album has to include a handful of previously unreleased tracks, and this one is no exception. Taken from The Look of Love sessions, Diana's voice is dark and seductive on "You Go to My Head" and "Only The Lonely", though the intense mood is interrupted by the appearance of a string section. Refreshingly orchestra-free, Tom Waits' "The Heart Of Saturday Night", from sessions for `The Girl In The Other Room', is a countrified, guitar-led ballad that brings out a seldom-heard lighter timbre in Diana's voice.
If you're not one of the 14 million people who already has a Diana Krall CD, The Very Best of Diana Krall is a perfect starter set for you (and good value at 24 tracks!). The rest of us will wait to see what her post-motherhood return to the recording studio brings.... --Kathryn Shackleton
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Album Description
The most popular female Jazz artist of her age celebrates thirteen years in the business with a
very best of collection featuring tracks from her best selling albums and two previously unreleased tracks.
very best of collection featuring tracks from her best selling albums and two previously unreleased tracks.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
A 'best of' was always going to be a compromise from such a prolific artist. However, one of the really good things about this album is that it was simultaneously released on vinyl and it sounds simply magnificent. All of you that bought the CD - confine it to the car and buy a proper audio medium. Vinyl was made for Ms Krall's sublime voice. What's also great is that many of these tracks were not previously released on vinyl and to hear 'Peel me a grape' 'East of the Sun' 'Look of love' and others in their full glory is a real treat. A great album from a rare and truly talented artist, buy without hesitation. One other point, I take issue with others comments about Girl in the other room, yes her husbands inability to write a coherent song has always been a problem for me but don't write the album off. Diana's covers of tracks like Joni Mitchel's 'Black Crow' and the stunning 'Narrow Daylight' should not be missed. Enjoy.
34 of 37 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Everyone of the tracks on this cd is a real gem. I know this because I own a copy of every one of the 8 albums from which they are taken. I didn't care much for the girl in the other room, Diana is so much more comfortable in this 'room'. However we don't need a Greatest Hits album, what I am eagerly awaiting is a new jazz based cd from this talented pianist/singer. If you are not already familiar with this remarkable lady by all means buy a copy of this disc and I can guarantee that you will be rushing to get copies of the earlier albums.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Diana Krall in her own way reinvented vocal based piano jazz. Her ability to deliver a jazz standard as though it were the first time the song were sung is peerless in the modern age.
She has a smoky voice that traces the contours of a melody like gossamer on velvet, mellifluous, enchanting and able to almost whisper an intimacy that most singers would struggle a lifetime to convey once, let alone consistently.
Backed by some brilliant musicians, she has it all and this collection reflects some of the best of her work. Her delivery of "S'Wonderful" is flawless, "Frim Fram Sauce" a fruity melange of tongue in cheek jazzy frippery is compulsively engaging, and her lightly flirtatious "Let's Fall In Love" makes you think "yeah, okay, let me just put my shoes on...".
Yes there are songs you would want to see on here, I miss "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" which I think is a meisterstuck and nobody else does it quite as well as her. But hey, t'was ever thus with "best of" collections, there are always going to be songs that you would like to see but it's not quite enough to make me give this a four instead of a five.
I agree with other reviewers here, "The Girl In The Other Room" left me cold, Elvis needs to step away from his wife's career and not contemporise her. More JAZZ please Mrs Costello!!! It's what you do best.
She has a smoky voice that traces the contours of a melody like gossamer on velvet, mellifluous, enchanting and able to almost whisper an intimacy that most singers would struggle a lifetime to convey once, let alone consistently.
Backed by some brilliant musicians, she has it all and this collection reflects some of the best of her work. Her delivery of "S'Wonderful" is flawless, "Frim Fram Sauce" a fruity melange of tongue in cheek jazzy frippery is compulsively engaging, and her lightly flirtatious "Let's Fall In Love" makes you think "yeah, okay, let me just put my shoes on...".
Yes there are songs you would want to see on here, I miss "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" which I think is a meisterstuck and nobody else does it quite as well as her. But hey, t'was ever thus with "best of" collections, there are always going to be songs that you would like to see but it's not quite enough to make me give this a four instead of a five.
I agree with other reviewers here, "The Girl In The Other Room" left me cold, Elvis needs to step away from his wife's career and not contemporise her. More JAZZ please Mrs Costello!!! It's what you do best.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Yawn!
OK, so she can sing and play the piano nicely, which is suitable for a dinner party, quiet night in, or background music for a classy restaurant. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Martin Williams
brilliant
Diana has a harmonious voice of an angel mixing jazz with her her wonderful voice and brilliant songs. Read more
Published 5 months ago by 1234
The Best
What a performer Diana is the very best, the piano player and jazz musician that can sing so well, she is perfection. Great Disc. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Peter Battersea
goodsounds
Having have not heard a lot of Diana Krall I am most impressed I really enjoy this CD. I like swing music and this is swinging towards modern jazz and its pretty good I can also... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Mr. D. Mellalieu
Very Best of Diana Krall
The CD of the Very Best of Diana Krall was excellent, she has a great voice, very relaxing, good easy listening CD.
Published 19 months ago by Man from Pompey
Diana Krall cd
Good jazz music and songs.
Always love this girl and her songs,
Mostly the one "come away with me".
Wilson:Bedfordshire.
Always love this girl and her songs,
Mostly the one "come away with me".
Wilson:Bedfordshire.
Published on 19 Jan 2009 by R. Brewster
The Very Best of
Except for the money it will generate,I dont think "A Best Of" is really needed just yet, but a NEW jazz based CD would be good.
Published on 1 Oct 2007 by Albi
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