I hadn't heard of Diane Schuur until my girlfriend and I saw her at the historic Blue Note in NYC about a year ago. Before she even stepped on stage her positive energy radiated through the quaint club. She cracked some jokes and made light of her reliance on a guide to help her on stage (due to her lack of sight). I've never seen a picture of her where she isn't wholeheartedly smiling. If you never saw her, you can still hear her smiling in her music. In most of her songs she is able to put a happy twist on even a somber song.I found both of these albums in the Dollar Crates of an Uptown record store. Half of "Deedles" is unfortunately poppy. The rest is her sweet spot: jazz. Her range is vast and her mind is musically sharp which makes for beautifully fun jazz. She often does a give-and-take play with other musicians. A perfect example is her scatting on "It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing". She matches notes with the sax so well. This song is her element. I also included a download for her "New York State of Mind" because it is the standout track on "Deedles". Schuur can tackle many different types of songs, but I actually feel she falls short on nailing "NY" because she lacks the swagger that the instrumentation and subject calls for (Nas got it). I still love this song, though, because 1) I have a soft spot for the Big Apple and 2) the jazziness she brings to certain parts of the song are unique interpretations.
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