When You Know

Dianne Reeves | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 15, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Blue Note Records
• ASIN: B0014ZFM0I
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,936 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

2008 release, her first Blue Note album of new material in five years. The four-time Grammy winner is an exceptional American Jazz singer, known more for her live performances than her albums. She is considered one of the most important contemporary Jazz singers. Dianne Reeves was the first singer signed to the newly reactivated Blue Note label in 1987, Reeves states, "Blue Note is so supportive of its artists. There are so many unique voices here, and we have the freedom to document our music as we grow artistically." 10 tracks.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Dianne Reeves returns with a mixed bag., April 22, 2008

By 

contempo.jazz (San Francisco/London) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When You Know (Audio CD)

In total contrast with Dianne's last release, the all-jazz soundtrack for the 1950s-set film "Good Night And Good Luck", this album is a rather strange mix of pop, soul, funk, R'n'B and jazz - with the American singer's creamy and elegant vocals the only common thread.
She is such a monumental performer that her powers sometimes overwhelm her material - as if only the most ecstatic, tragic or visionary lyrics can withstand a broadside of this multi Grammy-winner's technique.
"When You Know" reveals a mature, restrained, subtle and dazzlingly musical Reeves, with players and arrangements so good that even the overworn "The Windmills of Your Mind" sounds transformed.
This is an album of love songs, which might not appeal to those for whom lines like "loving you ... is more than just a dream come true" occasion a touch of queasiness. But if anything can win smooth jazz a reprieve, it's this - though it's too full of surprises to warrant the "smooth" label.
There's probably something in here for everyone, but it may struggle to sustain jazz fans' interest, and the rather disconcerting effect is of listening to a radio whose channels are being changed every few minutes.
Album's highlights: "Lovin' You", "Social Call" and 'Midnight Sun".

Good Night, and Good Luck (Widescreen Edition)
Good Night, And Good Luck

46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great music for growns up., April 16, 2008

By 

Pedder (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When You Know (Audio CD)

Acclaimed as one of the prominent jazz vocalists in the world today she is a quadruple Grammy award-winner and her story-telling instinct, sultry vocals and breathtaking virtuosity have won rave reviews across the globe. She has never stopped developing as an artist, yet she's managed to avoid the curse of being just a musician's singer to reach a wide public and winning Grammys galore - she's the only singer to have won three in a row.
The new album is a departure from the classic jazz of George Clooney's film "Good Night, and Good Luck".
"When You Know", seems tailor-made to reach that big, general audience of moviegoers rather than music fanatics or jazz aficionados.
It is a "concept" recording, which is a celebration of the different phases of love in a woman's life.
The structure is a simple one: 10 tracks take us through the different ways a woman regards love, from teenage dreams through mid-life crises to the closing "Today Will Be a Good Day" - a rollicking, washboard-driven tribute to Reeves' gutsy mother, now in her 80s.
It starts with a delightful, mellow version of The Temptation's "Just My Imagination". Minnie Ripperton's "Loving You" is cunningly arranged to move through different key changes. Diane glides through them effortlessly with the grace of a swan through water and teases you by leaving that those famous stratospheric bird call vocals until right at the end. Throughout she's backed by musicians of the highest calibre (like Billy Childs and piano/keyboard maestro George Duke who also signs the splendid production).
On the classic "The Windmills Of MY Mind" Brazilian guitarist Romero Lubambo conjures up a superb, cunning arrangement which manages to be both tasteful and dramatic. Spurred on, Diane turns the song's cliches into a moving examination of love lost, memories and regret. Lubambo also arranges the title track (he must surely take the credit for those wonderful chords) which is uplifting without being strident but still has real depth and power.
The album ends on an upbeat note with a jaunty country shuffle of "Today Will Be A Good Day".
Far too classy to be filed under 'easy' or 'chill out', "When You Know" is simply great music for grown ups.
"Quite a conundrum, is Dianne Reeves. Technically, the American diva soars above just about all of her rivals - she can sing soul, can swing à la Vaughan - yet her recordings rarely do her justice..An all too smooth collection of standards, including the Temps' "Just My Imagination", Minnie Riperton's "Lovin' You" and the trusty "Windmills of Your Mind". As ever, the vocals are immaculate, but without a spark of life until the end, when Reeves kicks into old-time gospel-blues mode on Today Will Be a Good Day....her recordings cannot possibly reflect her energy, warmth or the sheer range of her voice".Sunday Times
Some of the most famous jazz cats on the market like Romero Lubambo (acoustic guitar), Russell Malone (electric guitar), Steve Wilson (soprano saxophone), George Duke (piano), Billy Childs (Fender Rhodes piano), and Lenny Castro (percussion) join in.

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Creating and Recording This Album Was Not A Labor of Love ... It Was Just Love", May 24, 2008

By 

Rebecca*rhapsodyinblue* (CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: When You Know (Audio CD)

"There is a Gustav Klimt painting I had seen at the Belvedere in Vienna of a young woman moving through life. I remember loving the various depictions of the phases of her life from innocence to increasing maturity. In a similar way, this album progresses through songs which celebrate different phases of love, in much the same way our notions of love change as we move through time." ~ Dianne Reeves ~

Multi-Grammy winner Dianne Reeves latest offering, "When You Know," was released just over a month ago under Blue Note, a prestigious company well-known for its quality and reliable jazz recordings. This adds prestige to the album's marketability among the new releases in the genre of vocal jazz. So you can't go wrong - it is a sure winner.

Some of the finest studio musicians who have impressed me over the years lend support to Ms. Reeves and lovingly combined their creative talents to make this album as equally remarkable as her other albums, and these are guitarists Russell Malone (electric) and Romero Lubambo (acoustic), piano players George Duke and Billy Childs, among many others.

Through the years, Ms. Reeves has proven her sublime artistry through her bestselling albums, some of which has garnered Grammy nominations and awards, and not to mention the steady stream of fans who have supported her body of work.

According to Ms. Reeves, "creating and recording this album was not a labor of love ... it was just love." It truly shows the love and creativity that she injected into the material most especially two of my favorite songs in the Seventies - a beautiful and once-very-popular song from Minnie Riperton, "Lovin' You" and The Temptations' "Just My Imagination." Ditto with a Jobim classic, "Once I Loved," and a timeless and charming standard, "Midnight Sun." She revives and gives new meanings to these songs with her effortless style of singing, thus, making the entire CD a worthy addition to your collection and a potential for Grammy nomination and award.

Wholeheartedly recommended.

P.S. For more Dianne Reeves special treats for your ears, please check these winners out: A Little Moonlight, The Calling: Celebrating Sarah Vaughan and The Best of Dianne Reeves.