(Verve/Universal)
As much as Diana Krall has enjoyed phenomenal success with her own songs in chalking up global sales of over 15 million albums worldwide, it’s this jazz pianist/vocalist’s ability to interpret other artist’s material in her own distinctive fashion which has been Krall’s trademark over the past 22 years. Whether it has been collaborations with Nat King Cole or Tony Bennett, paying tribute to Burt Bacharach or covering classic standards or modern pop songs, Krall can do it all. So it’s no surprise that in releasing `Wallflower’, her first recording in three years, Krall has injected her own unique styling to 11 pop classics as well as tackling one previously unrecorded song (“If I Took You Home Tonight” by Paul McCartney). Produced by David Foster, `Wallflower’ sees Krall balance understated melodic vocals with sparse piano arrangements which then get fleshed out by orchestral production which never over-power the song’s melody. Classics like 10 CC’s “I’m Not In Love”, the Eagles’ “Desperado” and Elton John’s “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word” certainly benefit from Foster’s understated production. Add to this some powerful duets with Michael Buble on Gilbert O’Sullivan’s “Alone Again (Naturally) and Bryan Adams on Chantal Kreviazuk’s “Feel’s Like Home” and you have a solid salute to pop classics crafted by Krall’s own unique interpretation. Check out Krall’s forthcoming national tour where she will be performing the above tracks (and you imagine, many more) with full orchestral accompaniment.
Download: “Desperado”, “Alone Again (Naturally)”, “I’m Not In Love”
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