I’m no fan, either. I like a clearer, stronger female voice than hers, but unfortunately, most of the women singers I like have passed on. I like to listen to the Sirius “standards” station, and have been formulating a mental list of my favorite woman singers:
It’s not a long list, because I prefer male singers.
Mr. brown tells me that Diana Krall and Elvis Costello just had twins.
Agreed. Have a look at this.
I listened to her Christmas CD yesterday and thought it was very much less than special. I’m not really used to listening to jazz, so I can’t compare her to other jazz singers, but I can compare her to other female vocalists I love (Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, Regina Spektor) and fairly say that she can’t hold a candle. Like others have said, no emotion.
Actually, I don’t either, but I used the concessionary “fetching looks” in my OP, lest the Krall worshipers burn me at the stake.
I have never seen a jazz vocalist promoted as Krall is. Most every CD includes photos that suggest this ice princess redefines glamor, beauty and sensuality. Sure, she’s comely, but what’s with all the billowy gowns, the dramatic poses, the suggestion that we’re looking at a stark raving beauty? Back in the day, the jazz legends would have laughed at this stuff.
Last impression: Diana Krall can’t scat/skat worth a darn. I played her Christmas CD last night–don’t ask–and her scatting is painful to hear. It’s a shame that modern divas like Dianne Reeves doesn’t get the popular recognition she deserves, but Krall is feted at every turn.
All that said, I do like her take on “The Look of Love.”
She’s essentially the jazz version of Norah Jones. Easy listening, adult contemporary corporate music. She’s good at it, but that’s what it is.
Same can be said for Jane Monheit. In person, she’s much on the plump side and needs to cut her hair. On album covers, she’s got this smoky sexual look. But a decent voice and winner of second place vocal at the Thelonious Monk competition at age 20.
For what it’s worth in this Krall-bashing thread, I like her piano playing, and her earlier standards renditions were decent enough. Saying ‘bay-bee’ instead of someone’s arbitrary take on what is ‘correct’ seems like a petty criticism.
Yeah, she looked pretty hot on her album covers, but everything else I’ve seen of her has been pretty unspectacular.
There’s something listless about the way she performs, both visually and vocally. I’m the sort that’ll like a passionate, less polished voice over a perfect one… Frank over Bing, Janis or Dolly over anyone, etc. The new wave of jazz singers – Norah Jones, Diana Krall, even Harry C – seems studied more than inspired. Don’t get me started on Rod Stewart (like him as a rocker, hate him as a lounge singer).
When it comes to pop standards, I see no reason to redo them anyway, since Frank and Ella did most of them perfectly. There’s not a song in the canon where I think, “yes, Ella’s version is sublime, but I want to hear someone skinny and young sing it.”
I’m not into Krall’s music myself. The only kind of jazz I really like is red hot jazz. This thread, though, is so sexist it’s disgusting. Where was all the talk about Tom Waits’ looks? How about Krall’s hubby, Elvis Costello? Someone show me a thread where his looks ended up being a big part of the thread.
Shallow people deserve this kind of shallow music. I’m shocked some of you don’t like Krall.
I apologise for that part of my post. It was better left unsaid.
It’s Überfan. As in Übermensch.
The rest of it was pretty pointless as well.
Let’s not turn this into a sanctimonious pitting, please. Read my post above about Krall being constantly merchandised as the ultimate sex kitten, the gorgeous ice princess, the yadda yadda yadda. Ever see anything close to that done re: Elvis Costello or Tom Waits?
With due respect, you really need to read before you judge others. 
And my follow-on post about Jane Monheit was just to illustrate how merchandising doesn’t always reflect reality.
I wanted to like Diana Krall, but after trying really hard to listen to her for a while, I’ve come to the conclusion that she’s the female jazz artist equivalent of Kenny G. Undeniable chops, exercised in the pursuit of utterly forgettable music.
Chefguy, you’re dead wrong about Monheit. She’s gorgeous AND talented. I’ve seen her live and I can’t get enough of that hair and those curves (oh, and her voice, of course).
Equipoise, Krall opens herself up to such superficial comments because she owes a large part of her commercial success to heavy-handed cheesecake marketing. If she sells herself as a sex-object, then you shouldn’t be surprised that some people treat her like one.
I saw her last Christmas in Seattle. She looks nothing like her album photos, which is my point.
I should also mention that I didn’t just see her on the club stage, but went up and talked to her after the concert. I like women with curves, and she’s got 'em. But if you think she looks like the photos on her website, you’ll be disappointed. She’s much more like the girl next door than the sexy vamp depicted.
Cool. I’m jealous.
Point taken. I’ve never really taken those smouldering CD covers very seriously, anyway. My first exposure to her was at the beginning of her recording career when she was promoting the release of Never Never Land on a public TV show with a cheap set and crummy lighting. She was charming and adorable and, indeed, very much not a vamp.
Krall markets herself using her looks. Her appearance is a critical part of her presentation of herself as an artist and a musician, so it’s a perfectly valid part of this topic. We don’t discuss Tom Waits’s appearance because he doesn’t use his apperance the same way Diana Krall does (although he does dress the part.) If you don’t like it, you shouldn’t be reading a thread about a musician who you know goddamn well uses her physical appearance to her advantage, and who owes a lot of her success to that.
If you have a problem with that, your complaint should be with Diana Krall and Verve.
Don’t much care for her either. She’s got a fundamentally good voice but she sings everything as if she’s straining her smile-muscles smiling her face off while she’s singing. Cloying.
