Like many artists, Diana Krall views her albums as capturing a snapshot in time. And with her latest CD, Quiet Nights, the image she sees is picture perfect. On a musical and creative level, Krall calls the Quiet Nights project the greatest experience she's had in the studio.

"I think I was in really good shape, because I came straight off of the road after touring really quite hard through Europe all summer," Krall said in a recent phone interview. "You think, 'Oh my God, I'm touring all summer and I've got to go right into the studio without a break,'" she explained. "But in reality, not having a break, you have that kind of relaxed exhaustion that makes an album sound good."

To Krall, who appears on Aug. 25 at the Wells Fargo Center, the album reflects her life in a larger sense, which is as happy and full as it has ever been.

The reason for her contentment is the way her life has changed since early this decade when she began dating fellow musician Elvis Costello, who appears with his bluegrass outfit the Sugarcanes at the Wells Fargo on Aug. 21. The two married in December 2003, and in 2006 Krall, now 44, gave birth to twin sons, Dexter and Frank. Family life is what has her so happy.

"I'm laughing all the time," Krall said. "When my kids are around, you lighten up pretty quick. I have my musical family around me now, but I like having my kids. They're just little lights.

"I always wanted to be a mom," she continued. "I had a great mom and a great dad. And part of why I do music is because of my childhood and the environment that I had. I had Marx Brothers films and Jack Benny's films and old movies playing and Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington being played and early American dance bands, Bing Crosby and Connee Boswell and this whole vast closet of sheet music. So that was pretty cool."

Krall is also enjoying life on the road these days. Her U.S. tour features a mix of dates Krall performing with either an orchestra or in a quartet format; the Wells Fargo date is with the quartet. Especially in that format, she is free to play songs from across her large catalogue.

"It's really nice to have a place in your career where you feel like you're just going out and playing and not just going out to promote an album," Krall said. "I'm really enjoying my very vast repertoire right now." Diana Krall and her quartet appear on Tuesday, Aug. 25, at the Wells Fargo Center. 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. $39.50–$79.50. 8pm. 707.546.3600.

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