Hi-Res Downloads

192kHz/24-bit, FLAC; Verve 6 02557 35217 7 (supplied by www.highresaudio.com)

Her breathy contralto and big compositions have long been the core of Diana Krall’s appeal, but this release goes in a sadly soporific direction. Her band almost starts swinging on a handful of tracks, including ‘Blue Skies’ and ‘I’ll See You In My Dreams’, but it’s more tease than fulfilment. ‘Sway’ has huge interpretive potential, but here it’s given a ponderously intimate treatment loaded down by an overproduced cinematic ending. Krall’s singing isn’t quite up to the fine standard she’s set over the decades: frequently awkward phrasing made more apparent by shortness of breath on sustained notes, all while keeping the dynamic lid on tight. As the title implies, the production’s emotional altitude remains barely above sea level, with neither big vocals nor ambitious instrumentals. A good-sounding recording, but it’s the musical equivalent of tepid soup and dry toast. BW

Sound Quality: 75%

Hi-Fi News Lab Report

Spectral analysis of these 192kHz FLAC files [see graph above] indicates a deal of ultrasonic spuriae at ~20kHz, 26kHz, 40kHz and 54kHz. However, these only occur on Ms Krall’s vocal track – the bass, piano and guitar feeds are clean. PM