Customer Reviews

The Girl in the Other Room [IMPORT] [ENHANCED]

5 star:		(94)
4 star:		(37)
3 star:		(24)
2 star:		(35)
1 star:		(72)

 

 

I had the opportunity to hear samples of all these songs from some Polish website. Then I got to listen to the entire CD on Air Canada. I listened to it twice.

The first thing that you'll notice is that it's a move toward popular music, not the jazz vein where she started. Like on her last couple albums, she starts the album by covering a couple of jazz classics -- Stop This World and I'm Pulling Through. Then, perhaps as a transition, she covering some popular singer-songwriter songs -- Tom Wait's Temptation, new hubby Elvis Costello's Almost Blue, Joni Mitchell's Black Crow and Love Me Like a Man (the Bonnie Raitt did). Finally, the bulk of the work is her own singer-songwriting (well, Elvis helped with the lyrics) -- I've Changed My Address, Narrow Daylight, Abandoned Masquerade, I'm Coming Through and Departure Bay.

Although I'm more of a jazz fan, I'm okay with letting her do her own thing. She's the artist afterall. In her own compositions she reminds me of Joni Mitchell, especially Narrow Daylight and Departure Bay. Not surprisingly, there is also a nice touch of Elvis Costello here (whom I like a lot). All in all, it's a nice combination.

Overall I think Diane is signalling her transition to singer songwriting, or at least trying it out. This is a solid effort and a great freshman effort at that. I give it 4 and a half stars -- a very solid effort. I'm dinging it about half a star for some of her own compositions that don't quite get there. But Departure Bay and Narrow Daylight will be classics, and signal her talent at writing her own material. Most impressively, I think the CD hangs together as a whole.

First of all, although I was a bit hedgy about it at first, "The Girl in the Other Room" is a totally GREAT CD (see my review of the simpler enhanced version). The more I listen to it, the more I've become addicted to it. Aside from the late, great Peggy Lee, no other singer comes to mind who combines coolness with warmth, mystery with frankness, glamour with earthiness, and subtlety with thoroughness. Diana, you give me heart palpitations, and that's a compliment!

Since I was totally impressed by the mixing and mastering on the regular edition, I couldn't wait to get my hands on the Super Audio version. Truthfully, the awesome sound detail on the Super Audio CD is SO impressive, it is almost difficult for my human ears to drink it all in. There's a LOT going on from five different speakers and a woofer, all blended beautifully. The most striking feature about the SACD is a longer, slightly different version of the opening song "Stop This World", so if you're a Diana fan, believe me, this is an absolute must-have! And if you don't have a 5.1 system, what the heck are you waiting for? For audiophiles, it is worth EVERY penny. I highly recommend Sony's 5.1 CD/DVD audio.

Don't be misguided by my rating of this album. I encourage you to purchase EVERY album that Diana has ever made. I am a big fan of Diana Krall. Case in point- I traveled from the Cayman Islands via Australia, to see her perform in Toronto, Canada. (Check that out on your maps!) BUT... in my NOT so humble opinion, I feel that Diana would do better to make music with Joni Mitchell or the sort. Joni Mitchell good for Diana...Elvis Costello, well, we'll wait and see. I can only hope that this album is not a sign of what is in store for Diana and her music. I submit the following evidence- Listen to "A Case of You" from her album entitled "Live In Paris" Now listen to any of the 7 songs on this album that Elvis has credit to.- No Elvis, I DON"T THINK SO! Mind you, this is not to be mistaken as a bad review on Elvis' music. I'll eat Ice-cream or Caviar.-Just not together.

This is another replacement recording that I have purchased this year, I have enjoyed listening to it again. I would recommend it to other fans.

Diana Krall is purportedly the most commercially successful jazz artist recording today. We, admittedly, are not jazz aficionados, yet we do own the last 4 of Krall's cds. So it seems we might be in a good position to speculate as to the reasons for her popularity. We would suggest that those reasons have to do with her being white, blond, attractive, highly publicized and immensely talented. Up to this juncture, her strengths have been her rich, smokey vocal interpretations of, mostly, jazz/pop standards and her brilliant piano styling. Now Krall has suddenly become a triple threat. All it took, apparently was for her to exchange vows and rings with Elvis Costello and she is now a compelling and accomplished songwriter, as well. Half the songs here are Krall-Costello collaborations-mostly haunting, brooding, melodically complex, lyrically suggestive songs which require the most focus and patience. Nevertheless, they reveal another intriguing facet of Ms. Krall and clearly elevate her talents to another plateau. Meanwhile, she (and her regular crew of crackerjack jazz virtuosos) continues to do great work with the material of others including Tom Waits, Joni Mitchell, Mose Allison and her hubby. But it is her rendition of Chris Smither's (via Bonnie Raitt) bluesy nugget 'Love Me Like a Man' which shows still another side of Ms. Krall-sexy, ballsy and fun. Elvis, apparently, not only has great taste in music but collaborators, as well.

Let me start off with a big BALONEY! to all those who have claimed that Diana Krall has "gone Norah Jones" or maybe that she's under a spell by her new husband Elvis Costello. This is still a SOLID VOCAL JAZZ album from one of the best performers in the world, only with a new twist. I love standards like the next jazz buff, but accusing Diana of somehow "betraying" her genre by including her own songs and those by Tom Waits, Joni Mitchell and her husband is simply ludicrous. Yes, it's a "darker" CD than usual and it's not the usual collection of evergreens, but it also reveals a personal side of this amazing artist: Diana *is* an excellent songwriter and she's capable of infusing her personal style into such diverse genres as country, rock, blues and R&B.

I'm certainly not a fan of Elvis Costello (beats me what the heck a vocal master like Krall sees in him...) and I frankly believe he has quite embarrassed himself by trying to tackle jazz singing -- which I honestly deem not suited to his "alternative rock" voice and unimpressive vocal technique -- BUT (big but...) I will definitely give him credit for writing such a deeply touching song as "Almost Blue", which is my favorite from this CD, together with the haunting title track (co-authored by Krall and Costello), the bluesy "Stop This World" (a Mose Allison song), the ballad "I'm Pulling Through" and the Krall originals "I'm Coming Through" and "Departure Bay."

If you are a fan of Diana Krall (and I'm a BIG fan of her, not to mention a TRUE lover of mainstream jazz), you will definitely appreciate this change of pace, which, I'm sure, is only temporary. I wouldn't mind listening to more songs like these in future productions, besides the classics I so much love when sung by the amazing Diana.

We have enjoyed all Diana Krall's CD's and just purchased the Super Audio for our new CD player and wow....she was in our room playing. The new material is made just for her and it shows off her style.

Diana Krall's latest musical work is a wonderful example of how when properly motivated and nurtured, i.e. (Elvis Costello), an artist of Diana's superior talent can explore her musical depths and emerge with a new and fresh understanding of her own musical capabilities and desires, as well as exposing her audience to new material that is truly unique and may very well be called standards sometime in the not so distant future.

With several previous efforts covering the great standards of the past to her credit, Diana along with husband/collaborator Elvis Costello seem absolutely determined to create new and interesting music. With "The Girl In The Other Room", Diana has put forth a very original and musically inventive album, which makes the listener sit-up straight and really pay attention to the musical nuances that are displayed through her vocal interpretations and her tasty playing. Sure, not every original song on this album will be remembered, but even if we get only one great new song that can stand the test of time, then Diana will have accomplished something that has eluded countless others. Only time will tell, but I like the direction that she is headed in.

Not unlike many great artists, Diana's attempt at redefining and expanding her musical horizons has met with less than enthusiastic support. It is this process of stretching and growing, trial and error by an artist, which allows them to create something truly original, and ultimately carves out their place on the long list of true musical greats. I feel that in the long run, music fans everywhere will be very glad that Diana Krall had the vision and talent to expand her own boundaries and share with us listeners her own words, music, and feelings!

I recently discovered a new contemporary crooner named Monte Procopio that I also really enjoy. He sings with a genuine passion for the music and his new CD, "Monte Procopio "Swingin' With Style" features a 13 piece band that really swings and deserves a listen. Buy both these CDs, you can't go wrong!

Some people like Diana better when she surrounds herself with a lush orchestra and delivers well-known songs that perfectly complement a romantic dinner. "The girl in the other room" offers something less accessible, but all the more challenging for the listener. Diana Krall released this album after a serie of somewhat slick, polished albums of standards that turned her into an international top-selling artist; while those albums were excellent, you could feel the risk of Diana turning herself into a slightly more generic singer than her earlier works promised. This made "The girl in the other room" a necessary move - although it was not exactly a huge departure from a musical point of view, it did bring things down to a more intimate affair, less oriented towards AC-ballroom ballads and more towards a spare, intimate sound, closer to her blues and jazz roots.

Diana wrote most of the songs on this album, and the album gains an appealing intimacy that some of her previous albums lacked. You can feel Ms Krall stepping away from her slick crooner appeal, and letting her hair down to share her thoughts and feelings. Songs like the title track, "Narrow daylight", "Abandoned masquerade" or the album's emotional centerpiece "Departure Bay" reveal an artist with palpable honesty and emotional substance, something that albums like "The look of love" didn't necessarily demonstrate. And when she does turn to outside writers for material, she does so with panache : tracks like "Temptation", "Love me like a man", "Black crow", "Almost blue" or the catchy opener "Stop this world" are just as fantastic, and sound more personal than some of her previous covers. It's not just the fact that some of the tracks were written by Diana - she delivers each song with a personal approach, a more subdued production, and the album is wrapped into a nostalgic, poignant sheen that makes it a special affair.

The album somewhat divided Diana's fans. I feel it's her personal best. Some don't. Judge for yourself - and whether or not you appreciate the album, I'm sure you'll admit it's still miles ahead of lots of adult-oriented music.

I always thought that Diana Krall was nice to listen to, but with nothing extra that made me buy any records of her. That was until I saw and heard her Live in Paris DVD, where the Canadian singer stepped out from the former slick and almost icy approach and delivered that extra. Suddenly you could feel the warmth in her voice, her ultra sensual charisma came through with full force - I was hooked. Still feel though that her albums are too polished for my taste, I stick with the fantastic live DVD.

Now Mrs Krall has made a studio album that connects to the feeling on the Live DVD. The musical setting is much more intimate than on her previous albums. Basically you have one tight band, where the two most impressive musicians to my ears are Anthony Wilson on guitar and Christian McBride on bass. Diana Krall herself sings like a goddess and plays a very good piano. The songs are a mix of jazz, blues and pop, with a more rootsy feeling than her usual repertoire. There are also a mixture of covers and original songs. The originals are all written by Diana Krall and Elvis Costello, though Costello has only contributed to the music on the majestic title track, otherwise he has stuck to the words. There is a natural flow to the song sequence on the album and the originals stand up very good to the covers.

There are in my opinion no weak songs on the album, and my favourites (today) are the title track (Krall/Costello) and Temptation (Tom Waits).

Audiowise the album is very good recorded and produced. The SACD layer adds that extra HiFi dimension with crispy treble and a deep and tight bass. But the real winner here is clearly the multichannel mix. Diana's vocal is placed in the front channels and center and all instruments are spread in all channels in a rather aggressive but still very tasteful way. In my opinion a perfect 5.1 mix, compared to i.e. Norah Jones Come away with Me which has a very wimpy 5.1 mix. The only negative to say about the sound quality is that from time to time you can hear some harschness to the s-sounds.

Highly recommendable!!