Diana Krall is a grammy-award winning jazz pianist and singer, perhaps best known for The Look of Love. Quiet Nights is her tenth album, a collection of richly orchestrated ballads and bossa nova. She includes plenty of well known standards, such as The Boy from Impanena, Walk on By and So Nice.

The album sounds beautiful, and Krall’s gentle contralto vocals hit every note with the right amount of breathy passion. This is the perfect music for a slow dance, or as background filler to a romantic dinner. Many will buy this album and love it.

And yet I was ultimately disappointed.

Krall and producer Claus Ogreman do not bring anything new to these often recorded songs. Krall’s voice might sound great, and she might be pitch perfect, but I got the feeling she was going through the motions on this one. She hasn’t really invested herself in these songs, and the serious listener is left feeling a little detached by the whole experience.

Sometimes a great voice and faultless production just aren’t enough.