The Girl in the Other Room

Infobox Album | Name = The Girl in the Other Room
Type = Studio album
Artist = Diana Krall


Released = April 27, 2004
Recorded = 2003-04
Genre = Jazz
Length = 55:36
Label = The Verve Music Group
Reviews = Allmusic Rating|4.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:i0jw7i54g7xr link]
Producer = Tommy LiPuma
Diana Krall
Last album = "Live in Paris"
(2002)
This album = "The Girl in the Other Room"
(2004)
Next album = "Christmas Songs"
(2005) |

"The Girl in the Other Room" is the eighth album by jazz singer and pianist Diana Krall. For the first time, she performs songs that she co-wrote with her husband Elvis Costello. The album has already gone top 5 in the UK and debuted high on the Billboard 200 in May 2004.

The making of the album

Diana Krall wrote some of the songs for the album with Elvis Costello. Krall told USA Today that she had wanted to try songwriting before but lacked the confidence. "I started writing when I was a student but didn't really have the confidence to (pursue) lyric-writing in great depth. I've never done anything so personal."

On the Verve Records website, Diana Krall explains the songwriting for the album in more detail. "Musically composed by Krall alone, these songs mark a lyrical collaboration with her new husband, Elvis Costello. Explaining how they worked, Krall said: "I wrote the music and then Elvis and I talked about what we wanted to say. I told him stories and wrote pages and pages of reminiscences, descriptions and images, and he put them into tighter lyrical form. For "Departure Bay," I wrote down a list of things that I love about home, things I realized were different, even exotic, now that I've been away".

"Departure Bay" is written about her hometown Nanaimo, British Columbia on Vancouver Island and the first Christmas without her mother and finishes the album. The penultimate song on the album "I'm Coming Through" is also about the death of her mother.

As well as the songs she co-wrote with Elvis Costello, Krall departs from the standards she has sung on previous albums by performing songs by contemporary performers such as Costello, Tom Waits, Joni Mitchell as well as a Chris Smither song previously performed by Bonnie Raitt. She also performs Mose Allison's "Stop This World".

Chart success

The album reached the Top 5 in the UK, the Australian top 40 album charts and made a strong debut on the Billboard 200. "Temptation", a cover of the Tom Waits song off his "Frank's Wild Years" album of 1987 has reached number 1 of the World Jazz Charts (based on the US, Germany, France, Japan and China) and reached the US Top 40 on the pop charts.

Track listing

#"Stop This World" (Mose Allison)
#"The Girl in the Other Room" (Diana Krall / Elvis Costello)
#"Temptation" (Tom Waits)
#"Almost Blue" (Costello)
#"I've Changed My Address" (music: Krall, lyrics: Costello / Krall)
#"Love Me Like a Man" (Chris Smither)
#"I'm Pulling Through" (Arthur Herzog / Irene Kitchings)
#"Black Crow" (Joni Mitchell)
#"Narrow Daylight" (music: Krall, lyrics: Costello / Krall)
#"Abandoned Masquerade" (music: Krall, lyrics: Costello)
#"I'm Coming Through" (music: Krall, lyrics: Costello / Krall)
#"Departure Bay" (music: Krall, lyrics: Costello / Krall)

Personnel

*Diana Krall: Vocals, Piano
*Peter Erskine: drums on "Stop This World", "Almost Blue", and tracks 7 to 12
*Jeff Hamilton: drums on "The Girl In The Other Room", "I've Changed My Address", and "Love Me Like A Man"
*Terri Lyne Carrington: drums on "Temptation"
*Christian McBride: Bass on "Stop This World", "Temptation", "Almost Blue", and tracks 7 to 12
*John Clayton: Bass on "The Girl In The Other Room", "I've Changed My Address", and "Love Me Like A Man"
*Neil Larsen: Hammond B-3 on "Temptation"
*Anthony Wilson: Guitar

*Recorded by Al Schmitt at Capitol Studios, Hollywood and at Avatar Studios, New York
*Avatar Studios Assistant: Brian Montgomery
*Capitol Studios ProTools Engineer: Steve Genewick
*Mixed by Al Schmitt at Capitol Studios, Hollywood
*Mastered by Robert Hadley and Doug Sax at The Mastering Lab, Los Angeles
*Production coordinator: Marsha Black
*Photography: Mark Seliger
*Art Director: Hollis King
*Booklet back cover photo: DJ Hunter
*Design: Isabelle Wong/Isthetic
*Photo Production: Donna Ranieri
*Release Coordinators: John Newcott and Kelly Pratt

External links

* [http://www.dianakrall.com/news.aspx/ Diana Krall home page]
* [http://www.vervemusicgroup.com/product.aspx?ob=ad1&src=google&pid=10936/ Verve Music Diana Krall page]
* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=A2cklu3yaanxk/ All Music Guide The Girl In The Other Room article]