Seductive rhythms. Classy piano solos. Sexy vocals. Clever remakes. This is just a taste of the latest album by Grammy Award-winning jazz musician Diana Krall.
The Canadian-born Krall, popular for transforming so-called ""elevator music"" into a jazz phenomenon, has released a new collection of smooth jazz melodies, covering the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, the Bee Gees and Dionne Warwick.
Krall's Quiet Nights personifies the romantic melodies her listeners have come to love, following in the footsteps of her other classic tunes, such as ""The Look of Love"" and ""Little Girl Blue.""
Krall's Quiet Nights shares its title with a 1963 album by legendary jazz musician Miles Davis. Like Davis' album, Krall's work embodies the bossa nova style of music, characterized by Brazilian rhythms.
On the whole, the songs on Krall's albums have similar musical arrangements, allowing them to flow into one another and giving the album a sort of fluidity. This upholds the smooth, mellow tone of the album by preventing any abrasive, jarring songs from deterring the listener from the overall theme of Quiet Nights.
The first track, ""Where or When,"" rises like the morning sun to the sound of a flute. The song's lyrics convey the idea of a lovers' meeting as Krall sings, ""The clothes you're wearing are the clothes you wore / The smile you are smiling you were smiling then / But I can't remember where or when.""
""I've Grown Accustomed To Your Face"" and ""The Boy From Ipanema"" have minor lyrical changes from the original versions, giving them Krall's own female jazz style. The seductive melody of ""The Boy from Ipanema,"" Krall's rendition of ""The Girl from Ipanema,"" popularized by Ella Fitzgerald, lures the listener in with simple guitar chords and attractive lyrics.
Perhaps no other song on the album represents Krall's use of the bossa nova style more than ""Este Seu Olhar,"" a remake of a song by Brazilian musician Tom Jobim. The romantic Brazilian lyrics and guitar take the album to a whole new level.
Yet the triumph of Quiet Nights is Krall's remake of Dionne Warwick's hit ""Walk On By."" Krall's sexy, raspy rendition of Warwick's song grabs the listener and brings them into the song while the perfect mix of violins and horns set the tone of the piece.
Krall's remake of the 1971 Bee Gees classic ""How Can You Mend A Broken Heart"" sounds similar to a remake of the same song from fellow countryman and crooner Michael Bublé.
Just as the album begins with the heralding sound of ""Where or When,"" it logically closes with the song ""Everytime We Say Goodbye."" Violin solos in the middle and end of the song offer finality, proverbially closing the door on the album.
The album figuratively embodies Krall's love affair with her audience—from the commencement of ""Where or When,"" to the puppy love of ""I've Grown Accustomed to Your Face,"" to the parting of ways in ""Everytime We Say Goodbye.""
In Quiet Nights, Krall succeeds in emotionally connecting with her audience and establishing a romantic mood with her sexy voice and moving piano solos, thus building on her impact on the contemporary jazz world.
