Diana Krall and producer David Foster have produced a master stroke of pop genius with Krall’s latest album Wallflower.
The intimate and intelligent arrangements to songs like California Dreamin’ with it’s gorgeous piano solo by Krall, and the vivid soundscape of Neil Finn’s Don’t Dream It’s Over are stunning
Listen to the superb duet vocal with Bryan Adams on Randy Newman’s Feels Like Home.
It has a ton of feel and integrity.
In fact if the Krall/Adams duet is not a major radio hit we all might as well all hang it up now .
Elsewhere be ready to be blown out of the room with her take on the Eagles I Can’t tell You Why.
Krall’s piano solo floats above key changes while her intimate vocal brings you to another place sonically.
And that Folks is where the genius of David Foster lies.
The orchestrations are killer, but listen to the vocal takes that Foster gets out of Michael Buble and Krall on Gilbert O’ Sullivan’s Alone Again Naturally.
In one word spellbinding.
Krall tackles an unreleased Paul McCartney track If I Take You Home Tonight and turns the chord changes into a superb showcase for her voice.
Krall also completely makes 10cc’s I’m Not In Love her own.
Awash in a killer mix that literally fills the room it makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck.
An international album without a doubt, but there is a huge Canadian connection here.
Krall, Adams, Buble’ all Canucks including myself grew up listening to rock/pop radio here in Canada.
A ton of great international pop hits came out of our radios.
But it was also important to know that up in Canada in the 70’s you could hear songs like Foster’s own band Skylark on the radio, or the huge hits like the Guess Who’s Undun or Gordon Lightfoot’s Early Morning Rain.
You may not know it, but that fact and vibe is ingrained in this record from a DNA point.
Elsewhere, Bob Dylan’s little known track Wallflower (the title track) bears an almost Linda Ronstadt vibe that really works.
This album is very refreshing, and is going to surprise people.
What we have here is a melodic re-invention of pop classics.
Expressive and exhilarating work for sure.
JOHN EMMS is a 30 year veteran music journalist, radio host and musician.
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