Recording sessions by Diana Krall from 2016 and 2017 found her crooning tender classics with a misty vocal quality that’s become her signature. Those sessions have now resulted in This Dream of You, an assortment of love songs (“That’s All,” “Almost Like Being in Love”) and nostalgic tunes (“Autumn in New York,” “Singin’ in the Rain”) that Krall has a knack for making her own. Each song conjures the feel of chilly days and warm nights by a cozy fire—a proper follow-up to her 2017 album Turn Up the Quiet, which followed a similar band format of both trio and quartet.
Great artists tend to stick close to those who know how to showcase their sound best, and Krall has clearly followed that mantra by continuing her longstanding relationship with bassist John Clayton Jr., drummer Jeff Hamilton, and guitarist Anthony Wilson. She also teams up with bassist Christian McBride and acclaimed guitarist Russell Malone, who back her on songs such as the lovely “There’s No You,” with a supremely light melody by Malone.
One of the more up-tempo tracks, “Just You, Just Me,” pairs Krall with the fiddle and drums that are meant to counter the album’s more serious tunes. The title cut, originally written and performed by Bob Dylan, has a more country feel, but fits well into the mix and could easily be a salute to Krall’s longtime collaborator and friend Tommy LiPuma, who passed away in 2017 at the age of 80. LiPuma produced 11 of her records, part of a creative relationship that stretches back to the early ’90s; this is the last album to feature their work together. In many ways, This Dream of You is a fitting tribute to the man who helped to craft Krall’s poignant approach to standards.
