Fire and ice

No matter what musical genre you may be into, it seems that a lot of today’s fresh, creative stuff is coming from female artists. Here are two examples; one a new name in R&B/hip-hop, the fiery Keri Hilson, who after stints as vocalist for producer Timbaland, has her own “summer-hot” CD. And the second, by an established artist, reprising her role as “veins of ice” smoky, jazz chanteuse — the Queen of Cool, Diana Krall.

In A Perfect World — Keri Hilson (Interscope MCA) After years of being credited as one of Timbaland’s favorite female vocalists (she shared singing chores with Pussy Cat Dolls’ Nicole Scherzinger on Scream, which incidentally is a bonus track), Keri finally has an album she can call her very own. Naturally, Timbaland is listed as executive producer, along with Polow Da Don and Danja. The list of guest stars makes for one staggering array of the who’s who in R&B. On Turnin’ Me On, it’s Lil Wayne, and the current video/single Knock You Down has both Kanye and Ne-Yo playing foil to Keri. Change Me has Akon, while my favorite track Get Your Money Up has both Keyshia Cole and Trina swooping down for some high energy vocalizing. The CD showcases a lot of what makes contemporary hip-hop fun and accessible. While some tracks like Energy have been around for some time now, it’s still good to have all these Keri tracks on one CD.

Quiet Nights — Diana Krall (Verve MCA).  Krall has always been something of an ice maiden, seductively and languidly whispering her lyrics, and in possession of a vocal style that reminds one of Peggy Lee or Julie London. On this new CD, she takes a number of Brazilian bossa nova tunes, has renowned arranger Claus Ogerman (who worked extensively with Antonio Carlos Jobim) on board, and with producer Tommy LiPuma, comes up with a set of songs that should please her legion of fans, and introduce her to a new set. To be perfectly honest, I always have Krall and Norah Jones on hand because they also work as the perfect soporifics! If it’s late at night and I can’t get to sleep, I slip on their music and guaranteed, I never hear the end tracks, blissfully lulled to sleep by good music. I know that may sound like a backhanded compliment, but it’s what works. Especially like her So Nice, and the bonus track of How Can You Mend a Broken Heart.