Diana Krall has drawn a lot of attention since she arrived on the scene years ago – and “a lot” might be an understatement in modern jazz terms. All of her albums have a tendency to sell particularly well, again, as far as jazz albums sell these days, and her concert ticket sales follow suit.
Personally, I don’t go crazy when I hear Diana Krall sing. That’s not to say that I don’t enjoy her, because I do. But I don’t really get hyped up when she gets played on the radio, and I only own one of her CD’s in my extensive jazz collection.
The album I do own is her 2002 release Live in Paris. Certainly a case can be made quite often that artists bring more energy and life to the table in a live performance than they do when they offer a studio recording. In this case, I would die for Diana Krall to bring the life and energy she brought to The Paris Olympia for those four nights in late 2001 to her studio sessions.
She demonstrates all of her talents in this live recording that she does in her studio recordings, but you just get the feeling that the crowd brought an additional spirit to her. Her up tempo tunes are exciting and lively, and it sound like she is having fun, which is an impression you may not always get on her other albums.
We see and hear this kind of fun, life, and energy in the opening track, I Love Being Here with You (see video):
Between the opening number and the encore, Krall shows off a variety of talents and techniques, but it is the encore number in my mind that steals the show. Her version of Joni Mitchell’s A Case of You is maybe the most haunting and emotional song that I have ever heard her sing (see video):
Also notable from this recording of Billy Joel’s Just the Way You Are, with great work from Christian McBride and Michael Brecker.
The entire album showcases the kind of emotion and feeling that Diana Krall is truly capable of, and is a must have for your collection. Not just a must have because I believe its her best, but a must have because it truly showcases so much of what Diana Krall is ultimately capable of. Again, while her studio albums are wonderful, I would love to see her bring this kind of energy and life into the recording studios.