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124 of 143 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The iconic diva returns with a mixed bag., April 6, 2009
"Quiet Nights" is Diana Krall's twelfth album, which marks her first work with the 79 year-old legendary arranger Claus Ogerman (Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim) since 2002's "Live in Paris", and her first studio work with Ogerman since 2001's "The Look of Love".
She may have started out as a jazz pianist/vocalist but these days Diana Krall seems to have ditched any semblance of swing in favour of sickly string arrangements.
Her voice is lush and exquisite but she overdoes the breathiness - to the point that one wonders if a ventilator is required - and sticks too much to indistinguishable, slow bossa novas and ballads.
The result is a florid and bland album that washes over the listener.
My favourite tracks are : "Too Marvelous For Words", "Walk On By", and "So Nice".
The album reaches # 1 of Billboard Top Jazz Albums. Issue date 2009-04-18
Live in Paris
Lazy Afternoon track # 5
Brazil duet with Diana Krall on track # 3
Burt Bacharach Songbook Track "Walk On By"
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61 of 73 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
I'm just not feeling it..., May 22, 2009
The singing, that is. This isn't a terrible album, but it certainly is missing a je ne sais quoi.
Pros: The classy orchestrations remind me of the classic Sinatra-Jobim collaboration. Diana's Jobim-like single-note piano solos are the essence of wit and understated grace.
Cons: Krall's singing has always been her weak point. Technically, her voice sounds good, but that's the problem. It's technically cool and precise, feathery, light, and on key. But it doesn't really touch me, except on personal material such as that found on The Girl In The Other Room. And some of the quieter material from her Paris concert. I'm not feeling it.
Not only that, Quiet Nights is filled with tempos that are maybe just a bit to slow to begin with, and Diana often sounds like she needs to get some sleep or lay off the 'ludes.
You're My Thrill is almost laughably bad, so ineffective is Krall at generating any kind of heat. Her delivery on So Nice sounds like she's doing a run through of the sheet music for the first time. What was she thinking? Not nice at all. Her slinky singing on Hang My Tears Out To Dry shows a little bit of the impishness and playfulness we see in her smile on the CD cover photo. What went wrong on the other songs, I can't guess.
And the orchestrations do tend to get lush to the point of syrupy or schmaltzy in spots. Part of that is used to good effect, but sometimes it goes overboard.
By contrast, Krall shines on Bacharach's Walk On By and How Can You Mend A Broken Heart by the Brothers Gibb. She sounds engaged here, and the arrangements are well thought out. Those two cuts are so good, it's almost shocking how dull some of the rest is. Corcovado (Quiet Nights) is one of my top ten favorite songs of all time, but Krall sleepwalks through the version on this album.
Well, I'm sorry to say this CD is a step backward in her recorded output. Even as a relaxing cocktail music album it pales by comparison to The Look Of Love -- again, with the exception of the Bacharach and Bee Gees cover tunes.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
She's the best, October 6, 2009
Diana Krall, surrounded by strings, is one of the ten top jazz vocalists in America. Absent the strings, in the intimate presence of bass, guitar, drums, and her own piano styling, she is without peers. It's difficult to understand why she would go to the expense and formatting of an orchestra in order to emulate Julie London and Paul Weston when she deserves to be more rightly compared to Chris Connor, June Christy, or Dakota Staton. The CD is adequate, the DVD is exciting (with the exception of watching her husband walk out on stage and kiss Elton John instead of his lovely wife). In Madrid, Krall is in her element. Whether her background artists are Hurst and Company, or John Clayton and Jeff Hamilton, Diana Krall is in total command both vocally and instrumentally. She said in an earlier interview that she thought her keyboarding was good, but was surprised to find that audiences liked her voice. Her jazz vocals are outstanding, but I must agree with her that the real selling point is her approach to the piano and her ability to blend those keys to her combo. She is the best and, as soon as she realizes that the strings are more detriment than benefit, she'll continue to be the best.
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is Diana Krall's 10th studio release. Browse Diana Krall's Discography 
