Diana Krall

Until recently in her career, the 37-year-old Canadian-born New York resident was referred to as a brilliant pianist whose vocal talents were just beginning to shine. But her take on ageless material like "S'Wonderful," "Cry Me a River" and the bossa nova arrangement of the Bacharach-David title track on her current CD, The Look of Love, has Rosemary Clooney and Tony Bennett painting Krall as the next Peggy Lee. More insightful observers are likening her to Nat "King" Cole, who started out playing piano with buoyant flair before his slow-to-blossom vocal talent became his most sensuous asset. As a singer, Krall knows that learning the charts is one thing, but making a standard her own is entirely another. Her adept vocal phrasing -- and knowing exactly when to pull out the big gun, her dreamy bedroom whisper -- leaves concertgoers with the look of love all over their faces.