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CD Reviews

Diana Krall | Quiet Nights

Verve (2009)

By TED DROZDOWSKI | March 23, 2009

3.5 Stars

Jazz as the language of love is the theme of this hitmaker's 12th album, an achingly pretty tribute to the spirit, pace, and sound of the bossa nova. Although Krall goes directly to the source with three classics by Antonio Carlos Jobim including "The Boy [sic] from Ipanema," she also transforms Tin Pan Alley chestnuts like "You're My Thrill," where her hushed trumpet-like vocal phrasing and slow piano melody are a mesmerizing blend, and Burt Bacharach & Hal David's "Walk On By," with harmonized French horns carrying the tune.

Claus Ogerman, who orchestrated pioneering '60s Brazilian bossa nova recordings as well as Sinatra sessions, brings authenticity and elegance to the string and horn arrangements. His charts emphasize minor keys, creating a moody emotional palette for the album. And, as usual, Krall's honeyed voice and carefully chiseled playing are as spare and perfect on every cut as her core quartet's accompaniment.

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