Music Is My Life (1999)

About this title: While most jazz singers probably do not improvise enough, in the case of Diane Schuur, the less she gets away from the melody the better. The reason is obvious: Schuur has a beautiful voice but she rarely seems to know what to do with it! Her improvising can be screechy and erratic. Fortunately, Schuur mostly sticks to the themes on this strong release. Utilizing a variety of top jazz musicians, including pianist Alan Broadbent (Schuur plays piano herself on two songs) and tenor saxophonist Nino Tempo (who always emulates Stan Getz), Schuur mostly uplifts standards on her colorful outing. She ... read more

Tracks:

1. Invitation [Kaper]
2. You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To [Porter]
3. That Old Devil Called Love [Fisher/Roberts]
4. Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered [Rodgers/Hart]
5. Keepin' Out of Mischief Now [Waller/Razaf]
6. Good Mornig Heartache [Fisher/Higginbothan]
7. I Only Have Eyes for You [Warren/Dubin]
8. Nardis [Davis]
9. Music Is My Life [Coates]
10. If You Could See Me Now [Dameron/Sigman]
11. Over the Rainbow [Arlen/Harburg]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.