A Return, and The Jazz Project - Album 83: Diana Krall - "Love Scenes"

         Hello, world. The holidays and my day job pulled me away from this project for quite some time. That's the way it goes sometimes. But, I'm glad to back at the desk and sharing more of my musical journey. I've been intrigued with the traffic around my jazz entries, so I'm going to start the year off with one and explore the genre some more. So, without further ado, here's album 83! 

Album 83
Diana Krall - Love Scenes
Drinking: Stone IPA

Photo credit: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/6122hSB27hL.jpg

1. "All Or Nothing At All": This song begins with an excellent bass solo, and is a stellar way to introduce an album to the listener. All the tropes of smooth jazz are present but are presented in a way that feels shiny and new instead of stale. This track is tasty; sparse but flavorful. I wish the guitar was a bit more forward in the mix, though I'm loving the bass. Krall is an amazing singer, and the band is tight. I can feel myself sitting in a smokey cocktail lounge sipping a G&T and letting the band take all the stress off my shoulders for a while.
   
   
2. "Peel Me A Grape": The title made me raise an eyebrow, but the bluesy swing in the backbone of this track grips my attention. Like the previous track, Krall's voice transports me away from my room into a jazz club. The illustrative nature of the lyrics feels flirtatious, especially with the fun chords on this track. I loved the piano solo on this song. A great example that you can't judge a track by its title. 
   
   
3. "I Don't Know Enough About You": A nice change in tempo to something a little quicker, featuring some excellent piano work. The guitar and the bass solos gripped my attention. I missed writing about this song because it sucked my attention in so well, a real winner. 
   
   
4. "I Miss You So": This track features some incredible tone from the guitar playing, which is quite welcomed. The song sounds like snowy days, warm blankets, and longing for your lover. I get where the phrase smokey lyrics come from with this song. It closes with some excellent guitar playing. 
   
   
5. "Can't Take That Away From Me": This mix seems muddy compared to the previous tracks, but I can't put my finger on why. The clarity from the previous tracks is gone, and it feels like people are stepping on each other's toes. This yields a lack of coherency in the feeling for me. What saved this track for me was Krall's performance, which was quite enjoyable. It took me this long to realize they don't have a drummer in this group, which is an interesting choice, and really telling of the skill of the rhythm section. I didn't care for the piano solo either, it felt like it was far too wandering, and it took the drive of the song with it. Thankfully the direction of the song is returned with the guitar solo which I enjoyed. I also enjoyed the closing to this track. 
   
   
6. "Lost Mind": The bluesy swing feel to this album speaks to me on many levels, and this track continues to drive that home. It's like a slow and sexy Stevie Ray Vaughan song, which feels a little weird to say, but the lick is very SRV in sound. I'm not in love with the guitar tone when it dips into the lower registers, but the song overall is enjoyable. 
   
   
7. "I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance With You": I'm feeling and enjoying the music in the intro of this song, but not the vocal delivery as much. Something about it feels off-kilter compared to the delicate nature of the music. The slow and soulful guitar work is excellent and has a hint of Chet Atkins' vibe to it. I think some bass would have been cool, but the duet does provide an intimate feeling to the setting. This track leaves me feeling quite conflicted, it has a beautiful and personal vibe to it, but it runs on too long. The lack of other instruments leaves it feeling incomplete. So far this was my least favorite song. 
   
   
8. "You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me": The full band returns on this track and they do so fully in sync with each other. We also return to a perfect vocal delivery from Krall. One of the best parts of this song is how successfully the band fills in the space between each moment of Krall's vocals. It's tight and it's effective, and a strong moment on the album. My only wish was this song ran longer as it's the shortest song on the album at two minutes and fifteen seconds. 
   
   
9. "Gentle Rain": We open with some truly tasty guitar playing. There's just a hint of breakup on the tone, which sounds so good, almost hypnotic. A wonderful intro. I think Leah Zeger from Leah And The Moonlighters could have drawn a lot of inspiration from this track. Slow, and sadly sweet in sound this song sucked me into it thoroughly. 
   
   
10. "How Deep Is The Ocean (How High Is The Sky)": The piano intro is sad and delightful to listen to. I played the first 25 seconds over and over about five times. Everyone sounds excellent, and it creates such a soulful environment. The Piano solo hits home, albeit that it makes up most of the song so perhaps it's no longer a solo. A heavy-hitting track on this album. 
    
    
11. "My Love Is": The snapping fingers are produced shockingly well, and it matches the bass remarkably well. This song is minimal and perfect with the layers stacking up like fine china. It works so well! One of my favorite vocal performances on the album, and overall two thumbs up from me. If you like upright bass, check this track out. 
    
    
12. "Garden In The Rain": Worth several contemplative listens, as we close with the soulful sound we started with. A great closer to the album. Not much to say except it's definitely worth your time. 

Overall Thoughts: I dug this album quite a lot. the mix was almost always on point and the performances felt free and flowing while still being wholly deliberate. Huge kudos to the rhythm section for holding it together so well. I made it through the whole album without realizing there wasn't a drummer, which is a feat! If you like the more soulful side of jazz and excellent vocals, this is 100% a must listen. 

Info: This album was released on August 26th, 1997 through Inpulse! records and recorded in Avatar Studios in New York, New York. It was produced by Tommy LiPuma and features Diana Krall on lead vocals and piano, Russell Malone on guitar, and Christian McBride on bass. 

If you dug this album you can pick it up here!