Diana Krall

Thanks to her maturely seductive voice, subtle piano chops, and a deep-rooted familiarity with the classic American songbook, Diana Krall is good enough to have earned the attention of older Vocal Jazz fans looking for a throwback to the good old days. But more importantly, she's also caught the collective ear of a younger audience nostalgic for a past they've never experienced. Ranging from swinging piano trios a la early Nat King Cole to the string-enhanced sophistication of 1998's Grammy-nominated When I Look in Your Eyes, her output drew almost entirely from a body of songs penned before she was born. That changed somewhat when she co-wrote (with husband Elvis Costello) most of the songs on The Girl In the Other Room. Krall gives refreshingly unmannered performances, using her vocal and piano skills to sell standards and not herself. She's now topped the traditional jazz charts longer than any other artist in history. While Krall isn't an innovator, she doesn't need to be. Diana Krall's classy take on classic material shows that jazz still speaks to modern, mainstream audiences.