Customer's review

"And What My Heart Has Heard . . . Well, It Takes My Breath Away"

Considering that this is the first compilation of the very best of Diana Krall's recordings, it is an essential add-on to all her fans. The 15 gorgeous songs were perfectly selected from seven of her most remarkable albums starting off with George and Ira Gershwin's gem of gems, "'S Wonderful" down to Bart Howard's most charming composition and an all-time favorite of mine, "Fly Me To The Moon" . . .

"And let me play among the stars
Let me see what Spring is like
On Jupiter and Mars
In other words, hold my hand
In other words, I love you."

Although I have listened to and enjoyed all these songs from the CDs this compilation was taken, I still think that this CD is a great addition to my collection since it features the crème de la crème from all of her recordings. You don't have to skip any track for every song is truly a charmer and a winner. Who can resist the beauty of these all-time favorites of mine? These are spellbinding songs of the heart that can create wonderful memories you'll treasure forever.

"'S Wonderful" - Claus Ogerman's flawless Bossa Nova arrangement and orchestration with the Los Angeles Session Orchestra and Krall's sublime vocal and piano artistry made this standard an absolute gem of gems that would have made the Gershwin Brothers so proud since it's the best interpretation ever recorded.

"You made my life so glamorous
You can't blame me for feeling amorous
'S wonderful, marvelous
That you should care for me."

"The Look of Love" - a charming ditty from Burt Bacharach and Hal David that will make any music lover fall in love with its melody and lyric. Once again, Claus Ogerman brought out the very best in Krall with his arranging expertise and Krall gives this song the ultimate radiance it so deserves.

"The look of love
Is saying so much more
Than just words could ever say
And what my heart has heard
Well it takes my breath away."

"You Go To My Head" - a favorite of great singers to record and one of the masterworks of J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie. Another Claus Ogerman superb arrangement and orchestration with the London Session Orchestra. This will be a treat to your ears for it's a previously unreleased track.

"You go to my head
And you linger like a haunting refrain
And I find you spinning 'round in my brain
Like the bubbles in a glass of champagne."

"Let's Face The Music And Dance" - the most remarkable and captivating version of this Irving Berlin classic. Another majestic orchestral arrangement by Johnny Mandel, conducted by himself and Eddie Karam.

"So while there's moonlight and music
And love and romance
Let's face the music and dance."

"I've Got You Under My Skin" - Cole Porter's most enduring song and one of the most recorded standards. Who wouldn't be enchanted by Johnny Mandel's brilliant orchestral arrangement? I would say Krall gives it the retire-the-trophy-treatment for a female vocal rendition.

"And deep in my heart
You're really a part of me
I have got you under my skin."

And last but not least . . .

"East of the Sun (And West of the Moon)" - a very nice song penned by Brooks Bowman featuring Krall on vocals and piano with Anthony Wilson (guitar), John Clayton (bass) and Jeff Hamilton (drums).

"Just you and I
Forever and a day
Love will not die
We'll keep it that way
Up among the stars we'll find
A harmony of life to a lovely tune
East of the sun and west of the moon."

Diana Krall is an icon of elegance in music and she has a penchant for reviving sweetly sentimental songs that are completely pleasing to the ears with her soft, mellow and sultry vocal art that is as sweet as pie. And this compilation CD "The Very Best of Diana Krall" is a testament of her love and passion to her craft, and a must-have not only to her fans, but also to lovers of great music.

Wholeheartedly recommended for your listening pleasure!

A great overview of Diana Krall's career so far

Compilations are always a tricky business. When the task is as simple as putting together songs that reached the top of the charts, it's not too difficult to figure out; but when it comes to putting together an overview of an artist who isn't aimed at the charts, it's quite another story. "The Very Best of Diana Krall" succeeds nonetheless.

Given Diana Krall's reputation as one of our era's most prominent jazz vocalists, and given the fact that she has released quite a lot of studio albums ever since her recording career started in the 90s, there was a lot of ground to cover. "The Very Best" offers a generous serving of Krall's lush jazz sounds; there are fifteen tracks (plus the gorgeous "Narrow daylight" included as a bonus on the Canadian edition), for a running total of 79 minutes. She has thrown in most of the songs associated with her ("The look of love", "Let's face the music and dance", "Peel me a grape", "S'Wonderful", "All or nothing at all") but also two live recordings and three previously-unreleased tracks. All this is delivered with Krall's instantly recognizable sultry vocals, and her signature piano playing.

Some of Krall's albums are strangely overlooked in this retrospective. There is only one song from the lovely "From this moment on" album (although she definitely picked the right one, "Little girl blue"). As for "The girl in the other room", arguably her strongest album, "Narrow daylight" is the only track included here(although "The heart of Saturday night", an unreleased track, stems from the sessions of that album). One might observe that a good part of the songs picked here come from either the "When I look in your eyes" or "The look of love" albums.

Still, it's a minor complaint; this compilation is a great way to get acquainted (or re-acquainted) with Diana Krall's music. Can't wait for the next studio album !

Cool and hot.'Mark it as the first no-risk disc for the Christmas shopping list'.

Diana's subtle musical intelligence and jazz sensibilities have been deepening for a long time. True, Krall's skills can sometimes shield her emotions - but there's nothing to hide in this collection of her best covers, exploring her rich range, which are presented here.
On this set of smoky mood-pieces that she recorded from 1996 ( starting from the album "All for You: A Dedication to the Nat King Cole Trio" until 2006 with "From This Moment On") Diana is supported by a fine-tuned, intimate trio including Russell Malone and Christain McBride or by full, big, lush orchestral arrangements.
There are improvised, straight-ahead jazz jams and romantic, loose, animated numbers which accelerate from slow musing to a Frank Sinatra soulfulness.
"Here's more evidence that she is quite the best gal for the job. Songs that other singers sleepwalk through she invests with real personality - be they sensual or ebullient. Of her 11 albums, the big string-laden hits are fully represented, though, sadly, her singer-songwriter set "The Girl In The Other Room" is bypassed.
Three unreleased tracks appear: a slow, sensual "You Go to My Head", a moody "Only the Lonely" and a Tom Waits-faithful "The Heart of Saturday Night".
After giving birth to twins, this is Mrs. Costello announcing she is back.
Mark it as the first no-risk disc for the Christmas shopping list.(JOHN BUNGEY)
It's low-lights, maybe somewhat dinner-jazzy music, but it's as classy as anything Diana Krall has recorded.

The Very Best Of Diana Krall

Customer's review

"And What My Heart Has Heard . . . Well, It Takes My Breath Away"

A great overview of Diana Krall's career so far

Cool and hot.'Mark it as the first no-risk disc for the Christmas shopping list'.

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