From This Moment On

This album appears in the footsteps of 2004's The Girl in the Other Room but doesn't sound like a follow-up. Whereas The Girl saw the pianist-singer abandon the Great American Songbook for more personal pastures, From This Moment On sees her working out on standards done in traditional arrangements. Although the tracks here are by the likes of Cole Porter, Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn, and the Gershwins, Krall sounds more at ease than ever before; perhaps digging deep inside on The Girl loosened her up. Backed by the Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra on seven tracks, Krall sings off the big band with ease. On the title track, she keeps up with a galloping bass and explosive brass arrangements and even ventures into scatting toward the end of the song. Her voice has also acquired a wonderfully worn texture in the past few years, and it works wonders on the ballads (just listen to "Isn't This a Lovely Day" and "Little Girl Blue" for instance). When standards are done like this, there's just nothing like 'em. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

From This Moment On is an 11-song collection that captures the Canadian-born sensation in full swing, in great company, and at the top of her game. It could also be called her strongest, most cohesive release to date. Krall--for the few still unknowing--is the 41-year old sensation whose cool, heavy-lidded vocals and strikingly sensitive piano-playing has helped her transcend barriers of genre to become a popular artist of the first order who has carved herself a permanent position at the top of the jazz charts. In songs, mood, and delivery, From This Moment On reveals Krall's personal ardor for that golden era of song-making, when Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and (especially) Nat "King" Cole were in their prime. It's musical territory that Krall has often explored, but this album was certainly not a case of simply repeating past formulas: Krall's A-team of support--producer Tommy LiPuma, engineer Al Schmitt, and arranger/bandleader John Clayton--were on hand to ensure that inspiration was kept on an edge, unhindered by the studio environment.

More Diana Krall

All for You: A Dedication to the Nat King Cole Trio
Live in Paris
Love Scenes

The Girl in the Other Room
Christmas Songs
Stepping Out

Customer Reviews:

Joyous celebration of life.
It was the 2004 album 'The Girl In The Room' that showcased Krall's own songwriting talents, inspired by her own collection of records and artists she admired such as Tom Waits and Joni Mitchell and highlighting the melancholic side of life and its complex ambiguities.

This proved to be one of the critical successes of the year and a surprise at that.

Krall returns to more familiar territory this time with a collection of standards, enlisting once again the talents of Jeff Hamilton and Jeff Clayton as part of her regular trio (and adding their big band) and the contemplative guitar licks of Anthony Wilson, son of orchestral maestro Gerald.

The melancholy of the previous album has dissipated to be replaced by a joyous celebration of life.

This is reflected in tunes such as 'Isn't This A Lovely Day' and 'Come Dance With Me', while 'Exactly Like You' is given a mid-tempo latin feel.

On the reflective side Jobim's 'How Sensitive' receives a Claus Ogerman-style arrangement. In general the trio playing is near flawless and the Basie-esque big band swings to good effect.

A recording guaranteed to appeal to audiophiles of jazz sensibility. While awaiting more challenging and eclectic musical explorations from Diana Krall in the future, for the present this will do just fine.

--2006-12-10

I miss the influence of Elvis
There's not a song on this CD that someone hasn't done better. As a standards singer, I rate Krall a 6. However, for her efforts on Girl in the Other Room plus her duets with Ray Charles (You Don't Know Me) and Willie Nelson (Crazy) I give her a 10. She apparently has traded in her newfound specialness and uniqueness for a return to what her old fans demand: mediocrity.
--2006-12-09

Why? Because she's blonde amd cute?
She sounds like a bad impression of a young Nancy Wilson. There is no melody, no lilt or song to her voice. She doesn't dip and possesses a very short range.

When she sings she sounds like she's talking or just shopping and humming a ditty. I honestly gave her a chance and really listened to her. I've heard a live performance and I just didn't get her appeal. Then I thought, oh, some individuals are looking for a jazzy European woman. She's attractive. She wears her hair wild for attention. That's why she's called classy. But what do your ears tell you?

If you want to hear REAL singing check out singers such as Patti Austin, Nnenna Freelon, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald and Diane Schuur!

Diana beats anybody in her category? Name names. Because I have heard other singers and Diana is the only one who absolutely cannot sing. Do you listen to other voices? Do yourself a favor and listen to some samples of Patti Austin, Diane Schuur, Nnenna Freelon, Sarah Vaughan and Karrin Allyson with your eyes closed then listen to this cardboard.

It's obvious she's using sex to sell the CD. She's lying down on the cover with her hair splayed as if she just had a wonderful night with her husband. There is no need for that if the music is good! Even her true fans have abandoned her because I think they actually listened this time.
--2006-12-03

Good, but not THAT good!
I have every one of Ms Krall's works except for the 'Other Room' which I found turgid and nondescript. This collection of songs , I think, seeks to recapture the magic of 'When I look in your eyes', but fails in many aspects. Yes, her voice is still smooth, yet somehow seems tired, and lacks the sparkle of, say, 'Popsicle Toes', to name but one track. I really wanted to hear 'Day In, Day Out' but I was sorely disappointed and I was fast forwarding to another track after about a minute and a half.

The arrangements are clinically correct...so much in fact that they spoil much of the character found in her earlier stuff, almost as though it was a deperate attempt to replicate the style that made her famous in the first place. The use of a badly mixed muted trumpet didn't help matters. She is great with a trio...leave it at that. It ain't broke..just needs a bit of re-vamping.
What the producers don't seem to have understood is that the 'song pool' has dried up considerably since Ms Krall started rejuvenating standards. In the past 3 or 4 years, people such as Buble, Collins and even Rod Stewart have plundered the best material for their own musical junkets, and what we see here is a bunch of well-done songs, but not the best material that money can buy. It's almost as though they were desperate to get this package out as soon as possible.

My opinion is that Ms K needs to look at some contemporary material by some newer composers (definitely NOT her husband's stuff!) and re-work THAT to appeal to her fans.
It's a pleasant enough piece of work, but not on my 'A' list....great for driving at night, but then again, so is Kenny G!
--2006-11-28

Krall down to a Krall
I'm a former professional jazz musician and really appreciate what Diana did in her early years -- her best albums for me are "All for You" and "Live in Paris." To my ears, the energy is not there anymore -- I think that killer non-stop touring for all those years has used up a lot of energy. The pressure's off now -- she's married and has children on the way -- that's going to have its effect. She's just not "into it" as we used to say. Anyhow... great talent and has given us some of the best jazz performances I've heard in my time as a jazz player and listener.
--2006-11-24

- Verve