Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

Are Diana Krall and Elvis Costello morphing into each other? While Krall inches further into pop, her future hubby has plunged headlong into jazz. Costello’s latest album sees him working with saxman Lee Konitz, the Jazz Passengers and the Mingus Big Band (along with usual suspects Steve Nieve, Pete Thomas and classical cohorts the Brodsky Quartet). Piano ballads like “I’m in the Mood Again” and “When Green Eyes Turn Blue” are tailor-made for Ms. Krall and good chemistry for a marriage made in musical heaven.

Although she covers Tom Waits, the big news is that Krall is emerging as a fine songwriter. Where the glamour puss previously penned only several songs, here she co-writes six with influential husband Elvis Costello. Some, like “Abandoned Masquerade” and “I’ve Changed My Address,” are stark jazz ballads. But others put Krall in either Norah Jones territory (the catchy, pop-flavored “Narrow Daylight”) or the Joni Mitchell camp (the cool, confessional narrative of “Departure Bay”). Clearly, marriage suits her.