Diana Krall: It Could Happen to You

This is retro-Krall, with an Eisenhower-era flavor. Don't get me wrong, the 1950s were a great time for pop-vocal-plus-big-band recordings. But a singer with this much talent should aspire to more than just reproducing jazz styles from ancient history. Krall, for her part, slides effortlessly over the vocal the first time through . . . then she delivers the words all over again, with jazzier phrasing and moving farther and farther away from the Jimmy Van Heusen melody. In neither case does she bring out the sly humor in the lyrics, which are intended to amuse with their lowdown on what could happen to you. In all fairness, Krall never makes a bad recording, and this track declares its slick competency from the outset. Even so, those who haven't experienced her artistry may want to start elsewhere -- for example, with her remarkable version of "How Insensitive" from this same CD.