Count another vote from an owner of all the Krall albums. My favorite release is "Stepping Out." John Clayton on bass, Jeff Hamilton on drums and Diana on piano and vocals. Like a lot of artist's first releases it's unadulterated and even exhibits a touch of rawness. The difference in sound also comes from it having been produced by Jim West instead of Tommy LiPuma who has produced every Dian Krall album since.
Aside from its simplicity the strength of "Stepping Out" is that this was before she was being marketed as a sexy songstress who plays piano. On it she plays to her strengths, piano first, then vocals. That gets lost to varying degrees in later releases.
"The Girl in the Next Room" is good in its own right. It is a very big departure from her other work. The all original material is a departure from her other releases which is primarily covers of jazz standards. The influence of Elvis Costello definitely shines through, of course, since he co-wrote almost every song. Aside from being a little dark (Costello again) it's #2 on my list.
My favorite cut off all her albums? "Peel Me a Grape" from "Love Scenes." Why? Just because I like it!
