BWW Reviews: DIANA KRALL Brings Unmistakable Talent and Style to PPAC with WALLFLOWER WORLD TOUR

While Providence Performing Arts Center is known by many as the place in town where the big touring Broadway musicals make their local stop, PPAC isn't just about the Broadway shows. It's also a venue with a reputation for bringing in countless other kinds of performances, from stand-up comedy to internationally renowned dance troupes. Recently, PPAC has also hosted a string of amazing concert performances from some of the world's most talented and beloved musicians. Last year featured such performers as Beck and Jackson Browne and this year includes the recent appearance of Diana Krall, making a stop on her "Wallflower World Tour."

Since her first album in 1993, the Canadian singer and pianist has become one of the world's most impressively and consistently talented contemporary jazz musicians. During that time, she has won multiple Grammy Awards, primarily for jazz vocals, toured all over the world and released twelve studio albums. Her current tour, a whirlwind trip across the United States, Canada and Europe, has her putting her stamp on a number of classics and standards, written by a variety of different musical legends in an equally wide variety of musical eras.

Walking into PPAC for her show, the audience was greeted with a dimly-lit stage, immediately creating an intimate feeling and romantic mood. Scattered across the stage, electric candles added to that ambience while a few old-fashioned, vintage radios added a retro touch to the setup. Along with those items, the stage was crowded with instruments, including a piano, upright bass, drum set, guitars and keyboards, among others.

When Krall walked on stage, along with five other musicians, they immediately sat down and began playing, Krall at her piano and the others at their various appropriate spots. Not wasting any time, Krall got down to some excellent standards, beautifully sung, such as "Sunny Side of the Street." Her voice was soft and whisper-like, but not in a bad way. There's something comforting in her voice, the way it wraps around you gently and takes you in, imploring you to just relax and allow yourself to be touched by the words and the music.

While her ability to touch the audience emotionally with her singing was evident immediately, her wonderful sense of humor was not so quickly apparent. At first, she seemed a little distant, perhaps a little nervous even. As she seemed to settle in and get comfortable, she began to talk to the audience, joking about the weather and how being from Canada does not make her used to all this snow because she's from "the rainy part" and consecutive days of sunshine actually make her feel anxious.

Her dry wit and sarcasm continued to shine as she told stories and jokes throughout the show. In one great moment, she joked about playing the ukulele while bathing in a tub filled with gin. Another moment saw her telling a funny story about where her kids learn curse words (cursing is only allowed while riding in the car). Throughout the show, Krall came across as a fantastically chill, easy-going and down-to-earth person, someone with whom you'd love to hang out, have a few beers and talk about music until last call.

If that happened, Krall could no doubt talk at length about music history, her favorites and her inspirations. She sang a number of songs from musicians she used to listen to, musicians who inspired her, as well as other well-known songwriters. Jim Croche, Nat King Cole, Tom Waits, and Paul McCartney are just a few of the sources for her chosen songs. There's no doubt she did right by all of them, as everything she sang was brilliantly performed and emotionally resonant. A few favorites included her rendition of "California Dreamin," "Let it Rain," "Wallflower," and "Let's Face the Music and Dance." While those were especially memorable, there really wasn't a weak link in the set.

For most of that set, Krall was joined on stage by the aforementioned five musicians, Anthony Wilson (guitar), Dennis Crouch (bass), Stuart Duncan (fiddle), Karriem Riggins (drums) and Patrick Warren (Keyboards). Undeniably talented, each one got to shine, although Warren and Crouch didn't get as much solo shine-time as the others. Wilson and Duncan had the greatest amount of solo time, especially Wilson on guitar. Riggins had some especially brilliant moments during a couple of drum solos. For this tour, Krall has surrounded herself with impeccably talented musicians who are a joy to listen to.

While that may be true, the best part of the concert, for this reviewer, was when the band left the stage, leaving Krall alone at her piano. During that time, PPAC became an even more intimate space as the audience was given the chance to get to know Krall and her incredible talent even better, one-on-one. Call me a Krall purist, but getting to listen to her play piano and sing solo, without all the other music to distract from her her perfect vocal delivery and astonishing singing talent, is the best reason to see Krall in concert, something I highly recommend everyone do whenever possible.

For information on upcoming concerts, musicals and events at Providence Performing Arts Center, visit their website at www.ppacri.org.

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