LOVE SCENES was nominated for a 1998 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance.
Personnel: Diana Krall (vocals, piano); Russell Malone (guitar); Christian McBride (bass guitar).
Recording information: Avatar Studios, New York, New York.
On LOVE SCENES, Diana Krall utilizes the same trio format she used on her critically acclaimed ALL FOR YOU. And it's easy to understand why: the simple instrumentation–Krall plus guitarist Russell Malone and bassist Chrisian McBride–is the perfect setting for her sultry voice and relaxed piano playing. She offers 12 delightful interpretations of well-chosen, romance-related standards.
The three musicians have a wonderful rapport (both Malone and McBride have played on previous Krall albums), and each tune exhibits an easy, effortless swing. Krall' s piano playing is sensitive and lyrical on the ballads, and right in the groove on the uptempo numbers. Malone's full, rich tone blends perfectly with Krall's piano accompaniment, and McBride's formidable bass playing punctuates the trio's every nuance on this drumless date.
What the critics say…
Down Beat (10/97, pp.46–47) – 4 stars (out of 5) – “…there's a deep sense of balance at work here…Krall's feel for blues is natural…by banking on nuance, Krall and company make a major statement.”