Panton’s much-anticipated blue release (published 2022 / winner of the 2022 Silver Disc Award in Japan, 2023 JUNO Nominee and selected as one of the Ten Best Canadian Jazz Albums of 2022 by Peter Hum of The Ottawa Citizen) ) is the final chapter in a trilogy of works that began with pink (published 2009 / Silver Disc Award Winner in Japan), followed by RED (2015 JUNO Winner). The release dates span over a decade and chart an ultimately ill-fated relationship. blue showcases Panton at the height of her interpretive powers. Don Thompson sculpts bespoke arrangements around Panton's emotive vocals, featuring stirring accompaniment by the renowned Penderecki String Quartet, plus bassist Jim Vivian with spectacular solos by Phil Dwyer, Reg Schwager and Thompson himself. Listeners who appreciate details and feeling in music will be rewarded.


"[Diana] is one of the special artists in this world - more than that, she is important!"  
It’s hard to imagine that there could be more beautiful versions of this album’s 15 sad songs of lost love. Hamilton-based vocalist Panton chose her material with a connoisseur’s taste and she sings these lesser-known treasures impeccably, surrounded by the musical greatness of pianist Don Thompson, guitarist Reg Schwager, bassist Jim Vivian, saxophonist Phil Dwyer, and on some tracks, the Penderecki String Quartet. 
Diana gets to the heart of every single lyric/message on this recording. She joins the rare pantheon of Peggy Lee, Mel Torme, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald and Andy Bey who lament lost love, but soldier on to live another day.
Diana Panton is one of the most fantastic interpreters of standards from the Great American Songbook in Canada. She uses her voice like a spell that you can’t resist. Without ever bellowing any note, and with an even gentleness that is also emotionally powerful, she touches and caresses the ear as well as the heart of the listener with remarkable effectiveness. What she allows us to feel is as natural as it is sincere, as seductive as it is intellectually satisfying.
What I love about her voice is its transparency. Through her vocals, I can hear exactly what she is feeling. She takes the lyrics she sings seriously, largely because she chooses songs carefully, using her emotions and artistic taste as a guide.
Canadian singer Diana Panton's tasteful vocals always make me feel that she is a great singer. [...] Panton's selection of songs is impressive and we can discover many rarely sung but beautiful songs there. [...] I like Diana’s music and her honest attitude towards a lyric which has no bluffing or showing off. 
Outstanding! By far Panton’s most ambitious work. The essence to “Blue,” [...] is Panton’s loving appreciation for the lyrics at the heart of these 16 tracks. Panton’s phrasing immerses itself in the emotion of each and every word.
Gorgeous vocal performance full of longing!
blue showcases Diana Panton, exuding confidence and completely in command of her interpretive powers. Her lustrous, evocative vocals are backed by the artistry of four long-time musical colleagues who make significant contributions.
It’s a pleasure listening to Panton express these different emotions so poignantly. That's her superpower: making the listener feel everything she feels, from sorrow to indignation to melancholy, with a glint of promise for new love to come again. 
There are many talented jazz singers out there today who are doing wonderful work, but as you listen to Diana Panton’s 10th album “Blue” you know you are hearing someone special.  Her evocative voice, her choice of material, and the musical soundscape that she and arranger Don Thompson have created have brought us another timeless jazz vocal gem.
La vocaliste canadienne Diana Panton lance l’album blue (2022) sur le traces de pink (2009) et RED (2015), une savoureuse trilogie jazz qui trace son évolution et sa maturité musicale. Diana Panton est blue et saupoudre ces chansons d’une poussière magique qui vous fera oublier, pour quelques instants, vos soucis et savourer ces classiques. 
Diana is a treasure, a one-in-a-million talent who deserves to be not just heard but listened to by anyone who loves music. [...] I know of only a few other singers who can convey a song in such a way that they make you jump up in your seat and take notice. Enthusiastically recommended! 
Toujours avec sa voix de velours, Diana Panton ralentit le tempo sur son nouvel opus « Blue » pour notre pur bonheur. 
The artistry that Diana Panton attains in her latest Album "Blue" rises to a level of sensibility that only a very few impresarios of the art have achieved.  The timeless Music of Rogers & Hart, Sondheim, Mandel & Frishberg, and of course the Bergmans, is awakened by the virtuoso arrangements of Don Thompson reaching a momentous pinnacle of his work. Close your eyes and take the journey on this emotional celebration of elegance with Diana Panton…. 
Each hand-picked flower of a song is carefully unfolded by Diana’s sweet vocals [...]. She reminds us of how important the storyline is to these wonderful compositions and pulls at our heartstrings with the stories she sings. 
I love this album. Intimate. Warm. Bittersweet. It’s delicious. Diana Panton’s singing is heavenly.  She has chosen great songs and surrounded herself with talented musicians playing spot-on arrangements. 
In a nutshell, all I can say is, "Wow!" This is an absolutely stunning album! Don’s arrangements are of the best, which is not surprising considering his immense talents. The accompaniment fits in beautifully and adds to, rather than detracts from, Panton's emotion-filled lyrics of the well-chosen songs. All in all, a wonderful concept and a wonderful album. A class act!  
Une voix d’une douceur incomparable qui nous amène là où nous avons toujours voulu aller…au ciel!  Un album magnifique à écouter et réécouter, encore et encore!  
Perhaps best of all, this new recording adds another important artifact into the canon of great Canadian jazz that documents the ongoing, and still developing, musical partnership of Panton and Thompson. 
...there is a mood of melancholy that is quite beautiful in this music [...] this is music to enjoy for its truth and delicacy. 
Diana Panton's voice calms our melancholy and gently touches our heart. The way in which the musicians' accompaniment softly envelops her vocals is very romantic. When I listened to the whole album, I found myself relaxed and at peace. I highly recommend blue for the coming long-night season. Also, this album is the final instalment in Diana's colour trilogy, so I strongly suggest listening to all three albums in the series (pink, RED and blue) in chronological order. 
When I consider her catalogue of album artwork and music videos, I can see that Diana Panton is an artist who pays careful attention to the presentation of her music. I can equally hear her passionate dedication to delivering listeners her music with the highest fidelity through the quality of the recorded instruments and vocals which sound as if she is performing right in front of me. [...] Her version of “To Say Goodbye” written by Edu Lobo touches my heart deeply.
Refreshing, natural and sweet are adjectives often used to describe the art of singing by Diana Panton, who is from Ontario, Canada. A live performance is of course the most direct and effective way for new fans to fully appreciate this award-winning jazz singer, but how can you be satisfied in the meantime? By having a physical album, so that her beautiful singing can always be your company. 
No one can escape from her pure and dream-like voice. Women can only meditate about her music, men are completely powerless to resist. Her voice sounds familiar, but also fresh and unfamiliar...
Diana Panton has long past the stage of being a “singer of boundless promise”.  She is already a great artist.  She has a reputation among her tribe – and surely also among music’s proverbial cognoscenti – of being one of the most discerning artists – a perfectionist in every aspect of musicianship. Moreover, she is always right on the money with the repertoire she picks to showcase her artistry on her albums. 
The commercial market never seems to be Diana's primary consideration. As far as I am concerned, [...] I appreciate those "not-so-popular" songs, which make me feel like I am walking on the edge of a long embankment, dipping my feet into the water and enjoying the gentle sunshine...
"Upon my first listen [... ] in my mind, I could picture Diana standing straight in front of me in a clear open space and singing in her mellow voice. The outstanding quality of the beautiful sound drew me instantly into her music. I knew immediately "blue" would be one of my Jazz Audio Disk selections. "