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Diana Krall: The Girl in the Other Room

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Verve Jazz
Released: 2004.04.27
Time:
 55:38
Category: Jazz
Producer(s): Tommy LiPuma. Diana Krall
Rating: ********.. (8/10)
Media type: CD
Web address: www.dianakrall.com
Appears with:
Purchase date: 2007.06.12
Price in €: 19,99



 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Stop This World (Allison) - 3:59
[2] The Girl in the Other Room (E.Costello/D.Krall) - 4:05
[3] Temptation (T.Waits) - 4:27
[4] Almost Blue (E.Costello) - 4:04
[5] I've Changed My Address (E.Costello/D.Krall) - 4:47
[6] Love Me Like a Man (B.Raitt/Smither) - 5:49
[7] I'm Pulling Through (Herzog/Kitchings) - 4:02
[8] Black Crow (J.Mitchell) - 4:49
[9] Narrow Daylight (E.Costello/D.Krall) - 3:32
[10] Abandoned Masquerade (E.Costello/D.Krall) - 5:11
[11] I'm Coming Through (E.Costello/D.Krall) - 5:07
[12] Departure Bay (E.Costello/D.Krall) - 5:39

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Diana Krall - Piano, Vocals, Producer

Terri Lyne Carrington - Drums
John Clayton - Bass
Peter Erskine - Drums
Jeff Hamilton - Drums
Neil Larsen - Hammond B3 Organ
Christian McBride - Bass
Anthony Wilson - Guitar

Tommy LiPuma - Producer
Al Schmitt - Engineer, Mixing, Surround Mix
Doug Sax - Mastering
Robert Hadley - Mastering
Steve Genewick - Assistant, Pro-Tools
Hollis King - Art Direction
Brian Montgomery - Assistant
Marsha Black - Production Coordination
John Newcott - Release Coordinator
Kelly Pratt - Release Coordinator
Bonnie Raitt - Adaptation
Mark Seliger - Photography
DJ Hunter - Photography
Donna Ranieri - Photo Production
Isabelle Wong - Design
D Hunter - Back Cover

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s

2004 CD Verve 000182612
2004 CD Verve 000229336
2004 CD Verve 9862246
2004 LP Verve 060249863068

Recorded at Capitol Studios, Hollywood, California and Avatar Studios, New York, New York.

This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.

It may or may not be significant that Diana Krall's first album of new material since the ascendance of Norah Jones is the former's least jazzy, most pop-savvy album of her career. In any case, it marks Krall's biggest departure to date; THE GIRL IN THE OTHER ROOM is almost entirely devoid of the jazz standards that constituted her previous repertoire, and it contains her first recorded batch of original songs. It's possible that new husband Elvis Costello, who co-wrote all six of those tunes with his wife, was the agent provocateur. It's also feasible that Costello, who has previously recorded Mose Allison material and palled around with Tom Waits, nudged Krall toward such choice selections as Allison's bluesy plaint "Stop This World" and Waits's cocktail rhumba "Temptation." Nevertheless, Krall delivers them--like the rest of the songs here--in a misty, laconic style very consistent with her earlier work.

There's no attempt at pop-oriented production here, just the same piano-trio sound that's been Krall's stock in trade all along. Ironically, the jazziest tune here is Costello's early-1980s ballad "Almost Blue," previously performed by Chet Baker. Naturally, the new songs also bear the unmistakable stamp of Costello, but no matter how far afield her song sources (Joni Mitchell and Chris Smither's catalogs are drawn on as well), Krall maintains the trademark feel that made her famous.



While the jazz fascists (read: purists) may be screaming "sellout" because Diana Krall decided to record something other than standards this time out, the rest of us can enjoy the considerable fruit of her labors. The Girl in the Other Room is, without question, a jazz record in the same manner her other outings are. The fact that it isn't made up of musty and dusty "classics" may irk the narrow-minded and reactionary, but it doesn't change the fact that this bold recording is a jazz record made with care, creativity, and a wonderfully intimate aesthetic fueling its 12 songs. Produced by Tommy LiPuma and Krall, the non-original material ranges from the Mississippi-fueled jazzed-up blues of Mose Allison's "Stop This World" to contemporary songs that are reinvented in Krall's image by Tom Waits ("Temptation"), Joni Mitchell ("Black Crow"), Chris Smither ("Love Me Like a Man"), and her husband, Elvis Costello ("Almost Blue"). These covers are striking. Krall's read of Allison's tune rivals his and adds an entirely different shade of meaning, as does her swinging, jazzy, R&B-infused take on Smither's sexy nugget via its first hitmaker, Bonnie Raitt. Her interpretation of Waits' "Temptation" is far more sultry than Holly Cole's because Krall understands this pop song to be a jazz tune rather than a jazzy pop song. "Black Crow" exists in its own space in the terrain of the album, because Krall understands that jazz is not mere articulation but interpretation. Likewise, her reverent version of Costello's "Almost Blue" takes it out of its original countrypolitan setting and brings it back to the blues.

As wonderful as these songs are, however, they serve a utilitarian purpose; they act as bridges to the startling, emotionally charged poetics in the material Krall has composed with Costello. Totaling half the album, this material is full of grief, darkness, and a tentative re-emergence from the shadows. It begins in the noir-ish melancholy of the title track, kissed with bittersweet agony by Gershwin's "Summertime." The grain in Krall's pained voice relates an edgy third-person tale that is harrowing in its lack of revelation and in the way it confounds the listener; it features John Clayton on bass and Jeff Hamilton on drums. In "I've Changed My Address," Krall evokes the voices of ghosts such as Louis Armstrong and Anita O'Day in a sturdy hip vernacular that channels the early beat jazz of Waits and Allison. The lyric is solid and wonderfully evocative not only of time and place, but of emotional terrain. Krall's solo in the tune is stunning. "Narrow Daylight," graced by gospel overtones, is a tentative step into hope with its opening line: "Narrow daylight enters the room, winter is over, summer is near." This glimmer of hope is short-lived, however, as "Abandoned Masquerade" reveals the shattered promise in the aftermath of dying love. "I'm Coming Through" and "Departure Bay," which close the set, are both underscored by the grief experienced at the loss of Krall's mother. They are far from sentimental, nor are they sophomoric, but through the eloquence of Krall's wonderfully sophisticated melodic architecture and rhythmic parlance they express the experience of longing, of death, and of acceptance. The former features a beautiful solo by guitarist Anthony Wilson and the latter, in its starkness, offers memory as reflection and instruction. This is a bold new direction by an artist who expresses great willingness to get dirt on her hands and to offer its traces and smudges as part and parcel of her own part in extending the jazz tradition, through confessional language and a wonderfully inventive application that is caressed by, not saturated in, elegant pop.

Thom Jurek - All Music Guide



Singer/pianist Diana Krall breaks new ground interpreting modern standards by Tom Waits, Mose Allison, and Joni Mitchell, as well as compositions by herself and new husband, Elvis Costello. Krall's piano-jazz cred comes through loudly and clearly on her Count Basie-styled version of the Bonnie Raitt staple "Love Me Like a Man" (written by folk-bluesman Chris Smither). But it's the collaborations with her spouse that unearth untapped emotional nuances of her velvet voice; many are reminiscent of Bill Evans's moody, impressionistic pieces. The title track, "Narrow Daylight," "Abandoned Masquerade," and "I’m Coming Through" all deal with love and loss. "Departure Bay," a picturesque ode to her hometown of Nanaimo, B.C., proves that this is the start of something big, and that two heads--and hearts--are better than one.

Eugene Holley Jr. -  Amazon.com



Diana Krall hat seit ihrem letzten, mit Platin und Grammys verwöhnten Album The Look Of Love einiges erlebt: Schönes, wie die Heirat mit dem britischen Song-Genie Elvis Costello, und Tragisches, wie den Tod ihrer Mutter. Die Kerben in ihrer bislang so glamourös wirkende Biografie blieben natürlich nicht ohne Wirkung -- auch musikalisch. Dennoch gehört auch eine Portion Mut dazu, wie sie sich mit ihrem neuen Album The Girl In The Other Room präsentiert.

Sie setzt auf Risiko - und kann dabei höchstens an Profil gewinnen. Denn unter kommerziellen Gesichtspunkten betreibt die Kanadierin mit Wohnsitz New York ein verwegenes Vabanque-Spiel. Schließlich hätte sie bequem weiter auf ihre Erfolgsformel setzen können: gefälligen Jazz-Standards und Burt Bacharach ein Prise Sex einzuhauchen. Doch was macht Diana Krall? Sie zeigt ihr ungeschminktes Gesicht und offenbart dabei einen Blick in ihre Seele.

Von einer Hand voll hochkarätiger Musiker begleitet (darunter Drummer Peter Erskine und Bassist Christian McBride), interpretiert sie einerseits mit gewohnt cooler Verve aber neuer Intensität ein halbes Dutzend, für sie recht ungewöhnliche Songs. Zum Beispiel den Opener "Stop This World", ein träger Shuffle von Blues-Veteran Mose Allison; oder "Temptation", ein Schmuckstück aus der Kollektion von Tom Waits; oder die Verneigung vor ihrer Landsmännin Joni Mitchell -- "Black Crow". Schwerfällig wie der Mississippi im Hochsommer schiebt das in der Interpretation von Bonnie Raitt bekannt gewordene "Love Me Like A Man" daher, ein weiterer pechschwarzer Blues.

Die andere Hälfte der CD sind Eigengewächse aus dem Hause Krall/Costello. Wer bei diesen Genen auf wahre Song-Wunderkinder hofft, liegt nicht so ganz falsch. Titel wie der ungeheuer dynamisch swingende Titelsong, der Big-City-Blues "I've Changed My Address" oder das bei aller Melancholie irgendwie hoffnungsfrohe "Departure Bay" sind prächtige Beispiele für höchste Songschreiber-Kunst. Vier-, Fünf-Minuten-Werke, die einfach alles haben: Geist, Sex, Hirn, Herz, Gefühl -- und die ihren Stammbaum nicht verleugnen können. So lassen sich die rauchige Stimme, das flinke Händchen am Klavier natürlich klar Diana Krall zuschreiben, die hintergründige, metaphernreiche Wortgewalt und die raffinierten Melodiebögen und -wendungen sind dagegen ganz Elvis Costello.

Fazit: Das schöne Gesicht des Jazz hat seine ersten Falten bekommen - und ist dabei nur noch attraktiver geworden. Ein Meisterwerk!

Gunther Matejka - Amazon.de



Nachdem Diana Krall den Blondie-Faktor im Jazz gewaltig steigerte, wagt sich die bisher stets Standards singende Pianistin nun an eigene Songs. Was bestimmt mit ihrem frisch Angetrauten zu tun hat; der heißt nämlich Elvis Costello, und alle Krall'schen Komposition auf diesem Album bringen auch ihm Credits ein. Der Effekt dieser mit deutlich mehr Popmelodik ausgestatteten Songs ist erstaunlich: Diana Krall verwandelt sich nämlich gleichsam unter unseren Ohren in Joni Mitchell. Warum ist uns die Ähnlichkeit ihrer Stimmen - diese angeraute Härte, dieses Changieren zwischen Kraft und Zerbrechlichkeit, dieses erahnte Vibrato - eigentlich nie aufgefallen? Die Arrangements freilich folgen strikt den Bluesjazz-Regeln, haben allerdings stark perkussive Akzente: Produzent Tommy LiPuma musste allein drei Promi-Drummer (Peter Erskine, Jeff Hamilton, Terri Lyne Carrington) und zwei ähnlich bedeutende Bassisten (Christian McBride, John Clayton) integrieren. Natürlich singt die Krall zwischendurch auch Coversongs. Und natürlich ist darunter auch einer - nämlich "Black Crow" - von Joni Mitchell.

(mw) - Kulturnews



Als Ende 2002 die ersten Nachrichten von einer Liaision zwischen Diana Krall und Elvis Costello an die Öffentlichkeit durchsickerten, fragte sich mancher sogleich, ob diese Liebelei wohl auch Auswirkungen auf die künstlerische Arbeit der beiden Stars haben würde. Zwar wies Elvis Costellos im vergangenen Spätherbst herausgekommenes neues Album einen dezent jazzigen Einfluß auf, zu einem Gastauftritt seiner damaligen Verlobten kam es auf "North" allerdings nicht. Umso präsenter wird Elvis Costello, der seit dem 6. Dezember 2003 mit der Kanadierin verheiratet ist, nun aber auf dem neuen Diana-Krall-Album "The Girl In The Other Room" sein, das in der ersten April-Hälfte auf den Markt kommen soll.

Bei nicht weniger als sechs Eigenkompositionen (neben dem Titelsong noch "I've Changed My Address", "Narrow Daylight", "Abandoned Masquerade", "I'm Coming Through" und "Departure Bay") arbeitete das frischgebackene Ehepaar zusammen. Außerdem steuerte Elvis zum Repertoire dieses Albums noch seinen Klassiker "Almost Blue" bei (von seinem 1982er Album "Imperial Bedroom"), der auch schon von Chet Baker und Everything But The Girl interpretiert worden war.

Überraschungen bieten aber auch die restlichen Titel des Albums, weil sie aus dem für Krall bislang üblichen Programmrahmen von vornehmlich balladesken Jazzstandards herausfallen: Gespannt darf man Kralls Interpretationen von Tom Waits' "Temptation", Joni Mitchells "Black Crow", Mose Allisons "Stop This World" und Chris Smithers "Love Me Like A Man" (das man von Bonnie Raitt kennt) entgegenfiebern. Lediglich die durch Billie Holiday berühmt gewordene Arthur-Herzog-Nummer "I'm Pulling Through" scheint ein Relikt aus alten Krall-Zeiten zu sein.

Begleitet wird die singende Pianistin, die dieses Jahr ihren vierzigsten Geburtstag feiern wird, von Gitarrist Anthony Wilson, den Bassisten Christian McBride und John Clayton sowie den Schlagzeugern Peter Erskine, Jeff Hamilton und Terri Lyne Carrington.  

Das Label über die CD



The Girl in the Other Room reveals two new things about Diana Krall. One: that her interpretive repertoire is expanding. Two: that, in collaboration with her husband, Elvis Costello, Krall has discovered her inner singer-songwriter. Both directions signal good news. Where Krall had built a career by delving deeply into the work of the classic Great American Songbook composers of the '30s, '40s, and '50s, she’s now setting her sights on more contemporary figures, including Mose Allison (“Stop This World”), Tom Waits (“Temptation”), Chris Smither (“Love Me like a Man”), Joni Mitchell (“Black Crow”), and Costello (“Almost Blue”) -- although, in truth, the most recent of these tunes, “Temptation,” is nearly 20 years old. To her credit, Krall injects as much individuality into these reinterpretations -- her blues singing has become noticeably confident and assured -- as she did on the work of more hallowed composers. “I’m Pulling Through,” made famous by Billie Holiday and given a quality reading by Krall, is the album’s only standard. The six original tunes reveal a more personal approach. With Krall handling the music and Costello adding his input to the lyrics, the two work up songs that share an unexpected but winning blend of Joni Mitchell’s unconventional melodicism and Costello’s sharp and literate lyrical concerns. The obviously personal nature of the work -- the theme of change, its difficulties and potentials, pervades these songs -- allows us a closer look at an artist whose cool approach to her material has often kept her audience at arm’s length. Obviously influenced by her husband's artistry as both a composer and vocalist, Krall’s phrasing on the new tunes at times reflects Costello’s inimitable delivery, but Krall has nonetheless found her own distinct voice as a singer-songwriter. With The Girl in the Other Room she gives notice that the future promises pleasant surprises.

William Pearl - Barnes & Noble



Q (p.100) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[T]here's a bolder choice of material....Her playing has loosened up too..."

Mojo (p.97) - 3 stars out of 5 - "Krall is darkly exhilarating in the raucous Mose Allison opener 'Stop This World,' then coolly compelling in Tom Waits' 'Temptation'..."
 

 L y r i c s


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