$16.95 – Compact disc / Verve Records / ISBN:0602498622469
Girl In The Other Room
This album carried a whole sack of question marks with it. While
building a huge following with her rather irresistible brand of
hybridised bop-swing balladry, Diana gradually yielded to
commercial temptation the way Nat Cole, Wes Montgomery, George
Benson and other jazz greats had. Her last couple of albums have
been easy listening records. Tremendously accomplished mood music,
granted, and, of course, wildly popular, but for this listener at
least missing the x factor that sparked her efforts up to and
including When I Look In Your Eyes. Add to the uncertainty her
songwriting partnership with the new hubbie Elvis Costello and I
had no idea what to expect. The result is simply wonderful, opening
a whole new direction for Krall. Shes ditched the string orchestra
and most of the jazz standards, opting for contemporary songwriters
(Tom Waits, Chris Smither, Joni Mitchell) to augment the
Krall/Costello pieces. Gone is the perky, zesty Di, in her place a
whispering, haunted figure with more in common with Mitchell, or
Dianas rivals Patricia Barber and Cassandra Wilson. I could pick
highlights forever, but the one I really must mention is Narrow
Daylight, one of the six new Krall/Costello pieces. The authors of
the cover versions are in danger of becoming Dianas interpretive
property, the way people lost their songs to Sinatra. This is a
great, great record, be it jazz, pop or just bloody brilliant mood
music.
Richard Mohr is from Readings Port Melbourne