Quiet Nights by Diana Krall

Diana Krall proves she’s a master of her art on her new album, Quiet Nights. It’s twelve tracks of Brazilian-tinged mellowed-out jazz that is a pleasure to listen to from start to finish. Mrs. Elvis Costello does well to prove that married life and having babies hasn’t slowed the force of her music at all.

The first sounds of the opening track, “Where Or When,” are so delicate and atmospheric that they feel like they’re setting up the start of a fairy tale. Krall’s softens her vocals to suit the song, and her piano playing accents the music in all the right places.

Krall even gets fully into the swing of things with the Portuguese track “Este Seu Olhar,” an impressive feat for any artist, and she pulls it off with a lilting, sexy inflection in her voice that makes it one of the best songs of the album.

Other standout tracks include the sultry “The Boy From Ipanema,” that Krall said she wrote because she was attracted to the mountains around Ipanema beach in Brazil, because they were the closest she could get to her Vancouver home. “Guess I’ll Hang My Tears Out To Dry,” “Walk On By” and “How Can You mend A Broken Heart” also stand out for their frank lyrics and emotional melodies.

Krall stretches out the songs, with most tracks over four minutes, so listeners really get a chance to get lost in the music. Luckily, this length doesn’t leave listeners wishing for the songs to end, but merely enjoying the music for longer.

Quiet Nights is a relaxing musical ride that’ll leave you in a happy, smiley mood and won’t take anything out of you. If you’re a jazz fan, it’ll be an interesting take on your old favourite genre and if you’re new to the music, this is a great place to start your education on modern mood music.