Diana Krall is the reigning queen of soft jazz.

In the past few years, the sultry Nanaimo, B.C.-native has become the toast of the adult contemporary music world with her easy-listening piano- and vocal-readings of pop jazz standards.

It came to a head when her 1999 album When I Look In Your Eyes was nominated for an album of the year Grammy -- the first jazz recording to receive that honour in 25 years -- as well as for best jazz vocal performance and best engineered album (non-classical), both of which the record wound up winning.

Consequently, the Verve recording artist now counts among her admirers names such Elton John, Sting, and even Han Solo himself, Harrison Ford.

Her music has been featured in films such as Autumn in New York and on the HBO hit Sex and the City.

The good fortune continues, as recently she's watched her latest release, The Look Of Love, enter the Canadian album charts at No. 1 -- the first time ever that a jazz album has held that position -- where it has sat for three weeks now.

Not surprisingly her current cross-Canada tour to support The Look Of Love is selling out everywhere it goes, including tonight and tomorrow night at the Jack Singer Concert Hall.

And also not surprisingly, with her time at a premium, Krall's handlers have deemed most Canadian interviews unnecessary (with the concert and album sales where they are it's hard to argue).

Instead, for our benefit and yours, they sent out a forest's-worth of articles from international publications she would talk to accompanied by a lightweight pre-recorded interview with an American jazz radio programmer, who throws such innocuous snowballs at Krall that you'd be forgiven for thinking he was on the Verve payroll. (Think the bald guy from Inside the Actor's Studio, except even more fawning and slavish.)

But then again, maybe insight into Diana Krall is the last thing we need -- especially these days.

It might, in fact, get in the way of why she has become so very successful doing what she does, which is to perform uncomplicated, inoffensive and pleasant versions of songs such as the Gershwin's S'Wonderful, and Burt Bacharach's The Look of Love.

Songs that are familiar and comfortable performed by a voice that's equally as familiar and comfortable belonging to a face that's ... -- you get the picture.

All hail the queen of soft jazz.