Friends for Schuur

1	Easy Living 4:26
2	I'd Fly / Riccardo Cocciante 5:07
3	For the First Time 4:44
4	It Might Be You / Alan Bergman 4:58
5	Love Like Ours / Dave Grusin 4:20
6	Red Cab to Manhattan 6:01
7	The Heart Never Learns 4:19
8	Never Take That Chance Again 4:41
9	It Had to Be You 5:29
10	I Just Called to Say I Love You / The Rob Mathes Voices 4:35
11	Finally / Stevie Wonder 6:55

Barnes & Noble

If you had friends like Dianne Schurr's you'd feature them on your album also. Joining the acclaimed vocalist on this collection of (mostly) duets are Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Stephen Bishop, Richard Cocciante, keyboardists Dave Grusin and Herbie Hancock, and the late, great tenor saxophonist Stan Getz. Highlights include a sexy "It Had to Be You" done with a very game Ray Charles; "Finally," with composer Stevie Wonder on hand, and "Easy Living," with Getz providing willing support. Even when she goes it alone, as she does on the affecting Burt Bacharach ballad "Never Take That Chance Again" or Gerry Goffin's "For the First Time," Schurr's lustrous voice and, well, sure delivery carry the day. Equally at home with both jazz and popular music, Schurr regularly erases boundaries when she takes on a song. Her technique is matched only by the heart she puts into each performance -- no wonder other notables want to work with her. William Pearl

All Music Guide

Diane Schuur, one of the greatest entertainers in the world, makes her Concord Jazz debut with Friends for Schuur and it is remarkable. Her multifaceted vocal artistry is featured in great company on 11 sensational songs including two "live" concerts that feature Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder. There is even a digitally reintroduced version of "Easy Living," featuring the great Stan Getz. Diane Schuur is regal and she's soulful, passionate, and playful and her avid listeners know immediately that her voice has all the right qualities: technique, range, and adaptability to pop, jazz, gospel, and blues. "I'd Fly" is a definite smooth jazz hit. She sings its sexy, but beautifully contoured melody, romantic lyrics with such yearning and passion that this late-night romantic ballad should land solidly on the charts. Her duet with Stevie Wonder on "Finally" is prime. Her "live" duet with Ray Charles on "It Had to Be You" is packed full of soul, and all the while, you know you're in the middle of something amazing. The great songwriters Alan Bergman and Dave Grusin place their inimitable stamp on the essential "It Might Be You (Theme From Tootsie)" and with Schuur's heartfelt vocals, it clearly remains one of the best songs of the 20th century. Friends for Schuur brings you the new first lady of jazz at the height of her award-winning career. With it, Diane Schuur becomes the consummate entertainer whose dreams are forever intertwined with the greatest names in jazz and contemporary music. Paula Edelstein