Diana Krall Comes to Town

Here.

Diana Krall, at PPAC Wednesday, switches from jazz to pop
Jazz performer changes gears in new 'Wallflower' tour, with interpretations of ballads of '60s and '70s.

NEW YORK — Singer-pianist Diana Krall wants to make one thing clear about “Wallflower,” her new CD: It’s a pop album, not a jazz album.

The repertoire mostly includes pop ballads from the '60s and '70s, including The Mamas and the Papas’ “California Dreamin'"; The Eagles’ “Desperado” and Elton John’s “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word.”

The title track is an obscure Bob Dylan song that Krall discovered on one of his “Bootleg Series” records. The newest song is a previously unreleased ballad by Paul McCartney, “If I Take You Home Tonight.”

Krall kicked off a 27-city U.S. tour last week in Boston. She'll perform tomorrow night at the Providence Performing Arts Center.

A conversation with Diana Krall:

Q. Why did you want to do a pop album?

A. I had a chance to work with David Foster, whom I’ve known for a long time. I felt that this was the right time and the right person to do this kind of record with. David has a jazz background, but he’s also a great pop producer and incredible accompanist, which I discovered more and more as I was working with him. … I really made it clear that I didn’t want to do a jazz record. … I wanted to do a pop record and keep the integrity of the original melody and chord changes.

Q. Do you feel a personal connection with these songs from the '60s and '70s?

A. I don’t think I could do things that I don’t find some connection to. It’s not like I’m pulling songs from another era that mean nothing to me. I sang pop music most of my life. I was a somewhat normal young person listening to pop music — Crowded House, Linda Ronstadt, Bryan Adams — and playing it. Elton John was always a hero of mine.

Q. What was it like working with Paul McCartney on his standards album, “Kisses on the Bottom”?

A. That whole time working with Paul was probably one of the greatest experiences in my life. He’s just an amazing, good person. … I was the band leader, piano player and accompanist, and I loved being in that role. Every day it was a joy to come into the studio and see Paul and [producer] Tommy LiPuma work together.

Paul had written some romantic ballads of his own to include on the record, but fortunately for me one song, ‘If I Take You Home Tonight,” did not make it on the record. I asked, “Paul, do you think it would be OK if I did the song on my record?” and he said sure. How exciting is it to do a new Paul McCartney song? It’s one of my favorite tracks.