The Look of Love

Diana Krall

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 18, 2001)
• Original Release Date: September 18, 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Umvd Labels
• ASIN: B00005N9CV
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  DVD Audio  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (493 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,235 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #35 in	Music > Jazz > Vocal Jazz
  #40 in	Music > Broadway & Vocalists > Traditional Vocal Pop

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
The Look of Love doesn't tamper with Diana Krall's ongoing success, continuing the emphasis on romantic ballads and embracing them with lush string arrangements. At the core, of course, is Krall's voice. She's developing into one of the great torch singers, with an approach that's both direct and subtly nuanced, true to the song and yet deeply personal. There's a combination of restraint and drama here, as Krall ranges from the confident to the wistful, from loss to playful insinuation, as each song requires. "Cry Me a River" is bittersweet triumph, while "Love Letters" and "Maybe You'll Be There" maintain the most tenuous emotional hold, at once fragile and resilient. "Besame Mucho" and "Dancing in the Dark" are sultry romances wafted on light Latin beats. The songs develop their intimacy in the setting of Krall's quartet, which usually includes bassist Christian McBride and drummer Peter Erskine and several fine guitarists, most frequently Russell Malone. They're a superb complement to her voice and piano, and the close communication carries through the depth and sheen added by Claus Ogerman's rich orchestrations. --Stuart Broomer

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

103 of 109 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars CUDDLE BY THE FIRESIDE CD, October 5, 2001

By	MOVIE MAVEN (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

I usually will not add my review if a CD or book or video has already lots of reviews. I mean: what is left to say?

I felt, however, after reading about 20 reviews of Diana Krall's new THE LOOK OF LOVE that I wanted to write what is obviously a minority point of view. I LOVED this album. It reminded me of the Frank Sinatra "theme" albums like "Only The Lonely" where all the songs on the disc were of one mood. Here is Krall singing one gorgeous love song after another, accompanying herself, as always, on the piano with a small jazz combo and backed by a studio orchestra and the London Symphony. The orchestrations are lush, the sound on the CD is terrific and Krall is singing like I've never heard her sing. Every number is tops and done in Krall's signature throaty, sexy, husky style.

I especially enjoyed Schwartz and Dietz's "Dancing in the Dark" which is, in my opinion, one of the finest pop songs of all time and which cannot be allowed to be forgotten. Since the horrors of September 11, alot of songs with first rate lyrics take on all new meanings and here is a song which says, "We're waltzing in the wonder of why we're here/Time hurries by/We're here and gone."

This is a cuddle by the fireside with someone you love album. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

56 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Krall Follows Nat King Cole Into "Homogenized Pop Mode", October 12, 2001

By	Wade Souza (Honolulu, HI) - See all my reviews

I have been a Krall fan since '93 when a Canadian friend sent me a tape of her first release. As a jazz guitarist and fan of jazz piano and vocals I loved her from the start..putting her in the league of early Nat Cole,Shirley Horn, Carmen Mcrae and Sarah Vaughn. While she wasnt a truly great singer....her voice really worked because of her phrasing, emotional feel, swing and the swinging piano she played extremely well. When I finally saw what she looked like, I knew she could be marketed to a very broad audience (I'm also a marketing consultant and former music executive). I only hoped she would NOT succumb to the same fates as Nat Cole, Wes Montgomery and George Benson, fine jazzers who became so marginalized by the music industry they became essentially pop musicians, and in my view lost the feel that made them stand out initially.

All that said, this is what Diana Krall has been pushed towards on this disc. It started somewhat on her last outing but seems to be virtually complete with this one. Sad thing is she sounds like she knows it..at least subconsciously. Her performance is often lacking in emotion, depth and her piano is virtually invisible. The accompaniment is superb from a pop perspective but boring from a jazz perspective...the instrumental performances seem to be deliberately mainstream....her guitarists especially lack the jazz feel of the past even though one was on her early records. The solid jazz feel of Peter Bernstein and early Russell Malone were solid secondary instruments to Kralls piano....not true here.

Bottom line....this is an ok pop disc and NOT a jazz disc at all. Its only a so-so Diana Krall CD and misrepresents her real abilities. I have seen her live 3x and she is great, funny, plays a hell of a piano and can sing with the best jazz singers..but this disc doesnt do it.I think its a loss to jazz lovers but also to music lovers as her performance suffers in this context.....she doesnt sound like she is sining from the heart....and she has the heart of a true jazz musician.

Krall is one of the few jazzers who can make a jazz record and have it really sell...ie. make a real living from it. This is a real issue for her and most jazz players and the true economics behind the push to pop from her record company...its also the art of music being subordinated to the "product" of commerce.

Maybe her next release should be a live trio or quartet date from a small intimate club....she probably doesnt play that way much anymore but it is where she shines. Maybe a charity date with a select audience....taped for later release?

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Emotional Deadpan, April 9, 2002

By	Dr. Christopher Coleman (HONG KONG) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Diana Krall has a lovely voice, with a wonderfully rich tone quality and impeccable intonation. For all that, The Look of Love is a disappointment. The emotional range Krall expresses goes all the way from A to B--there's no difference in the way she sings Cry Me A River, Besame Mucho, S'Wonderful, or Maybe You'll Be There. It is all emotional deadpan, and the slick arrangements make her sound like Tony Bennett on Prozac after a sex change. As music to make out to, it's perfectly fine, but as a CD to listen to throughout, it's a disaster. It's not that I don't love ballads, but if there's no pain in the songs about loss, no ecstasy in the songs about love, the point is missed. This one is probably not worth owning, even if she does look lovely in the photos.