k.d. lang | ||
| Allmusic Biography : When k.d. lang released her first major-label album in 1987, she caused considerable controversy within the traditional world of country music. With her vaguely campy approach, androgynous appearance, and edgy, rock-inflected music, very few observers knew what to make of her or her music, although no one questioned her considerable vocal talents. That confusion never quite dissipated over the course of her career, even when she abandoned country music for torchy adult contemporary pop in 1992 with her fourth album, Ingénue. Born in Alberta, Canada, lang was first drawn toward music while she was in college. In particular, she was attracted to the music of Patsy Cline. She became acquainted with Clines music while she was preparing to star in a collegiate theatrical production based on the vocalists life. Soon, lang immersed herself within Clines life and music and decided that she would pursue a career as a professional singer. With the help of guitarist/co-songwriter Ben Mink, she formed a band, named the Reclines in tribute to Patsy Cline, in 1983, and they recorded a debut album, Friday Dance Promenade, which received some positive notices in independent papers. A follow-up album, A Truly Western Experience, was released in 1984 and received even better reviews and led to national attention. In 1985, lang was named the Most Promising Female Vocalist by the Juno Awards. All of the Canadian attention led to the interest of a number of American record labels. Sire signed lang in early 1986, and she recorded her first record for the label later that year. The result, Angel with a Lariat, was produced by Dave Edmunds and appeared in the fall of 1986. The mix of 50s-styled ballads, kitschy rockabilly, and honky tonk numbers on Angel with a Lariat received good reviews, especially from rock critics. The album had heavy support from college radio as well as cutting-edge country stations. Though it was a mainstream hit in Canada and an underground smash in the U.S., Nashville resisted lang, especially her tongue-in-cheek concert appearances. As she was recording her second Nashville album in 1987, lang performed a duet with Roy Orbison on his old hit "Crying," which was recorded for the film Hiding Out. The single was released at the end of the year and was a hit, marking her first appearance on the country charts. Shadowland, her second Sire album, made her debt to Patsy Cline explicit. Recorded with Clines producer, Owen Bradley, the album lacked the campy humor of Angel with a Lariat, which helped it succeed in traditional country circles -- "Im Down to My Last Cigarette," the first single from the record, was her first to break the country Top 40. Shadowland became a sizable word-of-mouth hit, both in modern country and alternative music circles, which led to it going gold. The following year lang released the harder-edged Absolute Torch and Twang, which increased her mainstream American country audience, in addition to being a college radio and Canadian hit. Lang won a Grammy -- Best Country Vocal Performance, Female -- for the album in 1989, and "Full Moon of Love" became a Top 25 hit in the summer of 1989. The attention made lang a minor celebrity, which meant that when she launched a protest against meat eating in 1990, it became a media sensation. Before the release of her fourth album, lang declared that she was a lesbian in an interview in The Advocate, which could have been a risky proposition, since Nashvilles industry was notorious for not accepting people who fell outside of the margins of the mainstream. However, the new album was not a country album. Ingénue was a set of adult contemporary pop that owed very little to country. Its first single, "Constant Craving," became a Top 40 American hit and won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female, leading the album to platinum status in America, Britain, and Australia; it went double platinum in Canada. Ingénue won lang a new audience, but she didnt immediately produce a follow-up to it. Instead, her next recorded work was the largely instrumental soundtrack for Gus Van Sants film adaptation of Tom Robbins Even Cowgirls Get the Blues in 1993; the soundtrack was actually released several months before the film. It wasnt until 1995 that lang delivered All You Can Eat, her full-fledged follow-up to Ingénue. All You Can Eat continued the pop direction of its predecessor, showing no traces of country. The album didnt enjoy the mass commercial acceptance of Ingénue, but it was a moderate success, proving that she had a dedicated cult following. Lang continued to follow her pop-oriented instincts on 2000s Invincible Summer, while embracing traditional popular standards on 1997s Drag (a collection of songs about smoking) and in her duet with Tony Bennett on his 2001 set Playin with My Friends: Bennett Sings the Blues. (Lang also went out on the road with Bennett for a successful co-headlining concert tour.) In 2004, after langs contract with Sire Records had run its course, she signed with the artist-friendly Nonesuch imprint and recorded Hymns of the 49th Parallel, a collection of tunes by Canadian songwriters. Reintarnation, a compilation of her Sire years, was released in 2006, and lang unveiled her first batch of original material in eight years with 2008s Watershed. Langs third Nonesuch effort, 2011s Sing It Loud, found her subtly exploring her country influences again, as well as assembling a new band, the Siss Boom Bang. While lang and the Siss Boom Bang band toured in support of the album, the group proved to be short-lived. In 2016, lang revealed she had been working with new collaborators, alt-country chanteuse Neko Case and respected singer/songwriter Laura Veirs. The three joined forces to write and record the album case/lang/veirs, which was released in June 2016. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 17 Title: Shadowland Released: 1988-04-26 Tracks: 12 Duration: 35:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Western Stars (03:14) 2 Lock, Stock and Teardrops (03:32) 3 Sugar Moon (02:28) 4 I Wish I Didn’t Love You So (03:09) 5 (Waltz Me) Once Again Around the Dance Floor (02:38) 6 Black Coffee (03:20) 7 Shadowland (02:31) 8 Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes (02:20) 9 Tears Don’t Care Who Cries Them (03:06) 10 I’m Down to My Last Cigarette (02:49) 11 Busy Being Blue (03:43) 12 Honky Tonk Angels (medley) (02:55) |
| Shadowland : Allmusic album Review : On her first two albums, k.d. lang took a witty and playful approach to the sounds and traditions of classic country music, and while it was obvious she truly loved the music, she also seemed to be having a bit of fun at its expense at the same time. But in 1988, lang proved beyond a doubt that she was serious about country (as well as her own talent) with Shadowland, an homage to the polished countrypolitan sounds of the 1950s and 60s that was produced by Owen Bradley, the iconic Nashville producer who was behind the controls for many of Patsy Clines most memorable recordings. lang herself sought out Bradley to work on the album, and luring him out of retirement proved to be a masterstroke; rather than try to re-create the lush textures and deep atmosphere of Bradleys sides for Cline or Brenda Lee herself, lang went to the source, and Bradley gave her studio settings that referenced his work during Nashvilles golden era while adding an ever-so-slight contemporary sheen. Bradley also brought aboard an all-star crew of legendary Nashville studio hands and invited Loretta Lynn, Brenda Lee, and Kitty Wells to sing with lang on the closing "Honky Tonk Angels Medley." In the hands of many artists, this sort of project might have been an exercise in misplaced, nostalgic fandom, but on Shadowland, lang taps into the sound and style of her most vital musical influences while at the same time putting her stamp on the music -- this isnt k.d. lang trying to be Patsy Cline, but rather lang demonstrating what she learned from Cline and where those lessons took her. langs lush, expressive voice has rarely sounded better or more emotionally powerful than it does on Shadowland, and it presents her meeting the cream of Nashvilles greatest era not as a wide-eyed acolyte, but as a gifted artist collaborating on equal terms. Its a magnificent achievement. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 17 Title: Ingénue Released: 1992-03-17 Tracks: 10 Duration: 41:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Save Me (04:33) 2 The Mind of Love (03:48) 3 Miss Chatelaine (03:49) 4 Wash Me Clean (03:17) 5 So It Shall Be (04:30) 6 Still Thrives This Love (03:35) 7 Season of Hollow Soul (04:58) 8 Outside Myself (04:57) 9 Tears of Love’s Recall (03:49) 10 Constant Craving (04:37) |
| Ingénue : Allmusic album Review : On her early albums, k.d. lang was a country traditionalist with a difference -- while she had a glorious voice and could evoke the risen ghost of Patsy Cline when she was of a mind, there was an intelligence and sly humor in her work that occasionally betrayed her history as a performance artist who entered the musical mainstream through the side door. And while the three years between Absolute Torch and Twang and Ingénue were full of controversy for lang that may have encouraged her to seek out new creative directions (among other things, she came out as a lesbian and her outspoken animal rights activism alienated many fans in the C&W mainstream), the former album suggested lang had already taken her interest in country music as far as it was likely to go. Ingénue presented lang as an adult contemporary artist for the first time, and if she felt any trepidation at all about her stylistic shift, youd never guess after listening to the record; langs vocal style is noticeably more subtle on Ingénue than her previous albums, but her command of her instrument is still complete, and the cooler surroundings allowed her to emotionally accomplish more with less. langs songwriting moved into a more impressionistic direction with Ingénue, and while the literal meanings of many of her tunes became less clear, she also brought a more personal stamp to her music, and the emotional core of "Save Me," "Constant Craving," and "So It Shall Be" was obvious even when their surfaces were evasive. And the production and arrangements by lang and her longtime collaborators Ben Mink and Greg Penny were at once simple and ambitious, creating a musical space that was different in form and effect than her previous albums but one where she sounded right at home. Ingénue disappoints slightly because while lang was a masterful and thoroughly enjoyable country singer, she was a far more introspective adult contemporary singer/songwriter who seemingly demanded the audience accept her "as is" or not at all. However, the craft of the album is impressive indeed, and few artists have reinvented themselves with as much poise and panache as lang did on Ingénue. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 17 Title: Even Cowgirls Get the Blues Released: 1993-11-02 Tracks: 16 Duration: 40:02 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Just Keep Me Moving (04:41) 2 Much Finer Place (00:52) 3 Or Was I (03:08) 4 Hush Sweet Lover (04:06) 5 Myth (04:08) 6 Apogee (00:37) 7 Virtual Vortex (00:44) 8 Lifted by Love (03:03) 9 Overture (02:04) 10 Kundalini Yoga Waltz (01:07) 11 In Perfect Dreams (03:08) 12 Curious Soul Astray (03:40) 13 Ride of Bonanza JellyBean (01:46) 14 Dont Be a Lemming Polka (02:17) 15 Sweet Little Cherokee (02:48) 16 Cowgirl Pride (01:46) |
| Even Cowgirls Get the Blues : Allmusic album Review : By most accounts not a real album, k.d. langs soundtrack to Gus Van Sants adaptation of Tom Robbins novel is a mostly experimental work, landing halfway between the torch songs of Ingénue and the country of her earlier albums. Most fans will find Even Cowgirls Get the Blues interesting, although they wont return to it often. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 17 Title: Constant Craving Released: 1994 Tracks: 4 Duration: 18:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Constant Craving (live) (04:28) 2 Miss Chatelaine (live) (04:35) 3 Big Boned Gal (live) (03:56) 4 Outside Myself (live) (05:12) |
 | Album: 5 of 17 Title: Ingenue and Even Cowgirls Get the Blues Released: 1995 Tracks: 26 Duration: 1:22:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Save Me (04:33) 2 The Mind of Love (03:48) 3 Miss Chatelaine (03:49) 4 Wash Me Clean (03:17) 5 So It Shall Be (04:30) 6 Still Thrives This Love (03:35) 7 Season of Hollow Soul (04:58) 8 Outside Myself (04:57) 9 Tears of Love’s Recall (03:49) 10 Constant Craving (04:37) 1 Just Keep Me Moving (04:41) 2 Much Finer Place (00:52) 3 Or Was I (03:08) 4 Hush Sweet Lover (04:06) 5 Myth (04:08) 6 Apogee (00:37) 7 Virtual Vortex (00:44) 8 Lifted by Love (03:03) 9 Overture (02:04) 10 Kundalini Yoga Waltz (01:07) 11 In Perfect Dreams (03:08) 12 Curious Soul Astray (03:40) 13 Ride of Bonanza JellyBean (01:46) 14 Dont Be a Lemming Polka (02:17) 15 Sweet Little Cherokee (02:48) 16 Cowgirl Pride (01:46) |
 | Album: 6 of 17 Title: All You Can Eat Released: 1995-10-10 Tracks: 10 Duration: 36:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 If I Were You (03:59) 2 Maybe (04:11) 3 Youre OK (03:03) 4 Sexuality (03:24) 5 Get Some (03:39) 6 Acquiesce (03:32) 7 This (04:03) 8 World of Love (03:46) 9 Infinite and Unforeseen (02:58) 10 I Want It All (03:39) |
| All You Can Eat : Allmusic album Review : k.d. lang followed through on the promise of her adult contemporary changeover Ingénue with All You Can Eat. A more experimental and realized record than its predecessor, there are more daring production touches on All You Can Eat -- its clear that she has been listening to contemporary pop, not just torch songs. It isnt immediately accessible -- the production is low-key, the melodies are gentle and subtle (although her cutesy, tongue-in-cheek song titles suggest otherwise), and lang gives a nuanced, sophisticated performance. Though it lacks a standout song like the aching "Constant Craving," All You Can Eat has a more consistent set of songs and, given time, is a more rewarding listen. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 17 Title: Sexuality EP Released: 1996-05-10 Tracks: 6 Duration: 32:01 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Sexuality (radio version) (03:33) 2 Sexuality (DJ Krush full mix) (03:31) 3 Sexuality (DJ Krush instrumental) (03:31) 4 Sexuality (Tony Maserati main mix) (04:07) 5 Sexuality (Angel Moraes dub) (10:53) 6 Sexuality (Teri Bristol Perc-A-Pella mix) (06:25) |
 | Album: 8 of 17 Title: Drag Released: 1997-06-10 Tracks: 12 Duration: 52:35 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Don’t Smoke in Bed (03:22) 2 The Air That I Breathe (05:59) 3 Smoke Dreams (03:48) 4 My Last Cigarette (04:08) 5 The Joker (04:46) 6 Theme From the Valley of the Dolls (03:02) 7 Your Smoke Screen (02:29) 8 My Old Addiction (06:41) 9 Till the Heart Caves In (03:30) 10 Smoke Rings (03:36) 11 Hain’t It Funny? (06:23) 12 Love Is Like a Cigarette (04:45) |
| Drag : Allmusic album Review : Returning, however tentatively, to the torch stylings that made Ingénue her most successful album, k.d. lang crafted an odd commercial comeback with Drag. A collection of covers that are somehow related to smoking, Drag is far more ambitious than the average cover record. She recasts Steve Millers "The Joker" and the Hollies "The Air That I Breathe" as slow, bluesy cabaret numbers, while traditional 50s pop like "Dont Smoke in Bed" and "Smoke Rings" act as seductive counterpoints. langs rich voice and the measured arrangements make Drag a ringer for Ingénue in places, but the tone is considerably lighter and more humorous, which certainly makes it an enjoyable listen. Nevertheless, the very presence of a tongue-in-cheek, all-covers tribute to smoking is a little disheartening in the wake of the wonderful, if severely underappreciated, All You Can Eat, which found lang pushing herself forward. Drag, in comparison, cant help but sound like a retreat. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 17 Title: Invincible Summer Released: 2000-06-20 Tracks: 11 Duration: 42:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Consequences of Falling (03:52) 2 Summerfling (04:15) 3 Suddenly (03:32) 4 It’s Happening With You (02:48) 5 Extraordinary Thing (03:35) 6 Love’s Great Ocean (05:40) 7 Simple (02:44) 8 What Better Said (03:47) 9 When We Collide (04:22) 10 Curiosity (03:41) 11 Only Love (03:52) |
| Invincible Summer : Allmusic album Review : The k.d. lang who played tribute to Patsy Cline seems a millennium away from the smooth, pop-infused chanteuse on this album. Glowing with happiness and lovey bliss, this lush album is dripping with the kind of bright, slick production that hasnt seen much light since the Brill Buildings heyday. Swelling strings, electronic bubbles and warbles, and the occasional mandolin combine to create a sound that manages to evoke a warm feeling of nostalgia without sounding retro. Topping it all off is langs smooth-as-maple-syrup voice, which shows even greater range than before, occasionally issuing the bell-like tones more often heard from fellow Canadians Jane Siberry and Sarah McLachlan. If there is a fault to this album, its that its too smooth; while the listener is surfing these waves of happiness and cushiony pop, an occasional desire for edges and bones surfaces. While "The Consequences of Falling," "Loves Great Ocean," and "Simple" are all fine songs, this recording also lacks the kind of hooky, knockout singles that have been featured on her best albums. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 17 Title: 3 for 1 Released: 2000-12-20 Tracks: 32 Duration: 1:59:51 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Luck in My Eyes (04:03) 2 Three Days (03:17) 3 Trail of Broken Hearts (03:25) 4 Big Boned Gal (03:09) 5 Didnt I (03:40) 6 Wallflower Waltz (04:23) 7 Full Moon Full of Love (02:49) 8 Pullin Back the Reins (04:23) 9 Big Big Love (02:29) 10 Its Me (02:20) 11 Walkin In and Out of Your Arms (03:05) 12 Nowhere to Stand (04:27) 1 Save Me (04:33) 2 The Mind of Love (03:48) 3 Miss Chatelaine (03:49) 4 Wash Me Clean (03:17) 5 So It Shall Be (04:30) 6 Still Thrives This Love (03:35) 7 Season of Hollow Soul (04:58) 8 Outside Myself (04:57) 9 Tears of Love’s Recall (03:49) 10 Constant Craving (04:37) 1 If I Were You (03:59) 2 Maybe (04:11) 3 Youre OK (03:03) 4 Sexuality (03:24) 5 Get Some (03:39) 6 Acquiesce (03:32) 7 This (04:03) 8 World of Love (03:46) 9 Infinite and Unforeseen (02:58) 10 I Want It All (03:39) |
 | Album: 11 of 17 Title: Live by Request Released: 2001 Tracks: 14 Duration: 53:25 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Summerfling (04:04) 2 Big Boned Gal (02:55) 3 Black Coffee (03:44) 4 Trail of Broken Hearts (03:19) 5 Crying (04:32) 6 Dont Smoke in Bed (03:44) 7 The Consequences of Falling (03:55) 8 Miss Chatelaine (03:25) 9 Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray (02:52) 10 Barefoot (04:20) 11 Constant Craving (04:32) 12 Wash Me Clean (03:50) 13 Pullin Back the Reins (04:41) 14 Simple (03:28) |
| Live by Request : Allmusic album Review : Live by Request is a series of occasional television specials broadcast on the A&E cable network, conceived by Tony Bennetts son and manager Danny Bennett. It works well for musical artists with loyal followings and established catalogs who may no longer be at the forefront of the record industry but are anxious to promote new albums. Viewers and fellow celebrities call in carefully screened requests that allow the performers to revisit their old favorites and mix in some new ones. k.d. lang was a good choice for such a show, and here she becomes the first artist to use the Live by Request rubric for a corresponding album. lang usually makes concept albums with distinctive themes that can be quite different from each other stylistically and, of course, she moved toward an adult contemporary pop sound after beginning her career as a country singer, so her discography sometimes seems to be all over the map. By mixing songs from her different albums here, she is able to demonstrate the similarities in them, suggesting that the apparent diversity in her music is not as extreme as it might have seemed. Also, never having released a compilation, she compresses her catalog into an excellent introduction here. All thats missing is another important aspect of the Live by Request shows -- the spontaneous personal interaction they tend to provide between artist and audience. lang just goes from one song to another on the disc, never saying anything more elaborate than "Thank you so much" in between. No requests from fans are heard, no comments by the singer. In that sense, the album is just a straightforward (and somewhat cut and dried) live album, with none of the special flavor of the TV show. | ||
 | Album: 12 of 17 Title: A Wonderful World Released: 2002-05-11 Tracks: 12 Duration: 43:46 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Exactly Like You (03:17) 2 La Vie en rose (03:23) 3 Im Confessin (That I Love You) (04:46) 4 You Can Depend on Me (03:00) 5 What a Wonderful World (03:21) 6 Thats My Home (03:05) 7 A Kiss to Build a Dream On (03:25) 8 I Wonder (03:49) 9 Dream a Little Dream of Me (03:52) 10 You Cant Lose a Broken Heart (03:14) 11 That Lucky Old Sun (Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day) (04:36) 12 If We Never Meet Again (03:52) |
| A Wonderful World : Allmusic album Review : Tony Bennett has sung with k.d. lang previously, notably on his MTV Unplugged album, and the two have meshed well together, largely because of langs willingness to sublimate herself to Bennetts approach. The same thing can be said of the two on this full-length duet album (which also contains solos -- Bennett is heard alone on "Thats My Dream," lang on "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" and "That Lucky Old Sun [Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day]"). It isnt just that lang joins in on material more suitable to Bennetts style than to hers. This is an album on which the musicians are the members of Bennetts backup group (plus strings), recorded in Bennetts studio. But one never gets the sense that lang is restricted by the approach. She is sufficiently versatile, or chameleon-like, to sound like shes enjoying herself, just as she did earlier in her career when she was working with producer Owen Bradley in Nashville and singing traditional country. At 76, Bennett sings with an easy, casual style, never seeming to work very hard for his effects, and lang, in her vocal prime, deliberately complements him, though she never seems quite as comfortable. Although there is no indication other than an uncredited painting (by Bennett, of course) inside the CD booklet, this is a tribute album to Louis Armstrong, who recorded these songs over the course of his long career. That doesnt mean that theres a trumpet to be heard anywhere on the disc or that either of the singers tries to re-create any aspect of Armstrongs vocal style. It simply provides an organizing principle that the listener can notice or not. (Well, its hard not to notice during the title song, with Bennetts references to "Satchmo" and "Pops.") Like Armstrong, Bennett and lang are trying to make the music sound effortless and unstudied, and to a large extent they succeed. | ||
 | Album: 13 of 17 Title: Hymns of the 49th Parallel Released: 2004-07-27 Tracks: 11 Duration: 47:24 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 After the Gold Rush (04:00) 2 Simple (03:02) 3 Helpless (04:15) 4 A Case of You (05:12) 5 The Valley (05:30) 6 Hallelujah (05:04) 7 One Day I Walk (03:24) 8 Fallen (02:56) 9 Jericho (03:45) 10 Bird on a Wire (04:28) 11 Love Is Everything (05:43) |
| Hymns of the 49th Parallel : Allmusic album Review : In 1988, Stompin Tom Connors, the most fiercely patriotic Canadian musician to ever take the stage in the land of the Maple Leaf, wrote a song in tribute to fellow Canadian k.d. lang for continuing to hang her hat in Alberta after enjoying a commercial breakthrough in the United States. Its hard to say what Stompin Tom thinks about lang these days, now that shes an out-of-the-closet lesbian, an animal rights activist, and (gulp) spending most of her time in America, but its a good bet he approves of Hymns of the 49th Parallel, in which lang turns her attention exclusively to the work of Canadian tunesmiths. Anchored by classic songs from Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and Leonard Cohen (all of whom rate two songs each), Hymns of the 49th Parallel is not so much a flag-waving celebration of Canada as an appreciation of the often spare and evocative style of its best-known lyricists (or at least thats the case with the material on board), and lang and frequent collaborator Ben Mink have matched the selections with production and arrangements that are simple and to the point, with only a piano/bass/drums trio for accompaniment (though a string section pops in every once in a while). With her phrasing subdued and her projection scaled back from the big-as-all-outdoors sound of her early days, lang seems to have kept her own instrument in check as well, though her best moments still inspire a very real awe. Though lang has chosen some superb songs (and written a fine one herself in the albums only original, "Simple") and performed them with obvious love and affection, Hymns of the 49th Parallel seems oddly lacking in passion; perhaps in deference to the frozen North, this album has a cool and frosty undertow that seems designed to hold the listener at arms length, despite the inarguable beauty of its craft. Perhaps for the follow-up, she should bring in Stompin Tom for a duet on "The Hockey Song" to liven things up. | ||
 | Album: 14 of 17 Title: Reintarnation Released: 2006-04-24 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:00:13 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Pay Dirt (02:10) 2 Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes (02:20) 3 Big Boned Gal (03:09) 4 Dont Be a Lemming Polka (02:17) 5 Curious Soul Astray (03:40) 6 Its Me (02:20) 7 Luck in My Eyes (04:03) 8 Diet of Strange Places (03:53) 9 Big Big Love (02:29) 10 Trail of Broken Hearts (03:25) 11 Nowhere to Stand (04:27) 12 Friday Dance Promenade (02:20) 13 Got the Bull by the Horns (03:02) 14 Angel With a Lariat (03:11) 15 Pine and Stew (03:14) 16 Hanky Panky (01:59) 17 Pullin Back the Reins (04:23) 18 Cowgirl Pride (01:46) 19 Changed My Mind (02:45) 20 Turn Me Round (03:16) |
| Reintarnation : Allmusic album Review : Sire/Rhinos 2006 Reintarnation, k.d. langs first-ever compilation, chronicles her time as a country singer, which occupies not quite as much space in her career as you might think. She made her mark in the late 80s as a maverick country singer, not quite part of the West Coast cowpunk movement, but certainly not part of the Nashville establishment, which always treated her coldly, even before she publicly came out of the closet in 1992. Listening to Reintarnation, its not hard to see why she was not revered by the Music City: lang never strayed from camp, or as she calls it in the liner notes, "performance art," which meant that there was a certain amount of ironic distance in her music even when it sounded on the surface like pure country. That stylized detachment, delivered with a wink and a nod and a nudge, certainly helped her build an audience among 80s college rock fans, who had already embraced cowpunk, roots rock, and several of the edgy new traditionalists who emerged halfway through the decade. Lang was the closest to the latter group: musically, she wasnt all that far removed from the likes of Dwight Yoakam, and langs tweaking of country conventions also seemed to be a kindred spirit to Lyle Lovetts dry wit. Nashville has always been a conservative town, so they naturally didnt welcome her with open arms, even when she teamed up with legendary Patsy Cline producer Owen Bradley for her 1988 album Shadowland. And when she eased away from her country cabaret routine and toward a modern-day torch singer sound on 1992s Ingénue, the transition felt natural: not only was it clear that she would never be welcomed by the country music establishment, but she had exhausted the possibilities of her country persona, so the time was ripe for something new, which the adult pop of Ingénue did provide. Reintarnation rounds up the highlights as selected by lang herself from the decade when she was making her way as a country singer (she also approved slight remixing here, often amounting to the removal of some of the heavy echo from Angel with a Lariat). It is by no means a balanced collection representing each of her country records evenly; there is only one cut from Shadowland here and none of her four charting country singles ("Im Down to My Last Cigarette," "Lock, Stock and Teardrops," "Full Moon Full of Love," "Three Days") are here. Half of her 1987 major-label debut, Angel with a Lariat, is here, along with two cuts from her 1984 debut, Truly Western Experience; her rare 1983 first single, "Friday Dance Promenade"; the demo "Changed My Mind"; three cuts from her soundtrack to Gus Van Sants 1993 film Even Cowgirls Get the Blues; and a full seven of the 12 songs from her 1989 high-water mark, Absolute Torch and Twang. This rundown might seem rather idiosyncratic, but even with the virtual absence of Shadowland, this functions as a good overview of the first part of langs career, effectively eliminating the need for any of her early albums (besides, of course, the one thats conspicuously MIA). Which isnt to say that all this music will have aged well for all listeners: in retrospect, the camp in langs performance often overshadows the strength of her music. As powerful as her voice is, it often seems that shes over-singing, as if being over the top will subvert country clichés. To those listeners who remember lang as part of a posse that included Yoakam, Lovett, Steve Earle, and maybe even the Beat Farmers, this theatricality can sour their memories, but for those who love lang as a vocalist or icon, this plays right into her image. Either way, Reintarnation winds up as an effective, even definitive, summation of k.d. langs early years. | ||
 | Album: 15 of 17 Title: Watershed Released: 2008-01-15 Tracks: 15 Duration: 58:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Dream of Spring (04:00) 2 Je fais la planche (02:51) 3 Coming Home (03:26) 4 Once in a While (03:27) 5 Thread (03:38) 6 Close Your Eyes (04:26) 7 Sunday (04:17) 8 Flame of the Uninspired (03:30) 9 Upstream (03:37) 10 Shadow and the Frame (03:07) 11 Jealous Dog (02:32) 1 I Dream of Spring (03:45) 2 Wash Me Clean (04:11) 3 The Valley (06:21) 4 Hallelujah (05:22) |
| Watershed : Allmusic album Review : It seems very strange that Watershed is the first album of new -- as in self-penned -- material by kd lang in nearly seven years. Her last full-length, Hymns of the 49th Parallel, was a collection covers by fellow Canadians in 2004, and a compilation assembled from her country albums. Watershed also lists lang as producer, another first for the singer and songwriter. There are 11 songs here, including the beautiful single "Dream of Spring," that was released in December of 2007 and kicks off the set. There is a core band here that revolves around old friends Teddy Borowiecki (who not only plays organ, guitar, arranges strings, and does some programming, but also provides additional production in places), steel guitarist Greg Leisz, drummer Danny Frankel, bassist David Piltch (who also does some additional production), and some guests who include Ben Mink, trumpeter Jon Hassel, and Lynne Earls, who is also the recording engineer here. Lang plays guitars, banjo, piano, and assorted keyboards. There are bits and pieces of all of langs best albums here. There is the elegance of Ingenue, the lush, restrained drama of Drag, and the earthiness of Shadowland with the contentment and joy of Invincible Summer. The songs are assembled as a sort of narrative. "Dream of Spring" opens with bluesy guitar, bass, and a drum loop that becomes a shimmering torch song with pedal steel guitar on its refrain. Langs voice glides into a near swoon of longing from a reportorial, almost philosophical observation of places shed inhabited before allowing herself to enter love openly and freely. The strings add a lushness thats in stark contrast with the steel, but it all works. While the song is sexy as all get out, there is a spiritual quotient in it; its not enmeshed or entrenched. Its not desperate -- unlike some of the more blessed-out dream anthems on Ingenue. "Comin Home" opens with a sparse, slightly jaunty pluck of strings, and lang simply croons right into them: "Oh, sweet sorrow/Lets write the book tomorrow/For I caught a glimpse/Been obsessed with it ever since/My eyes no longer weak amongst the clarity that you pronounce in me..." This is an homage, and perhaps even a love song, but its a platonic one that is spiritual in nature, whose tenets are very close to the eight worldly dharmas in Tibetan Buddhism. Noam Pikelnys banjo adds a nice dimension to this track, adding itself to the growing presence of strings, simple percussion, Leiszs pedal steel, and a dreaminess that is rooted in the everyday life of what illumination looks like when it is as apparent as the blue of the sky. "Once in a While" is among the most straightforward and ultimately sane love songs to ever come from the tip of langs pen. The wonderful chorus of backing vocals (all hers), with a simple drum loop, an array of guitars, and an underpinning bassline that glides rather than weights the tune through its changes. "Thread" certainly touches on the feel of the best material from Ingenue, and strangely enough, though it is basically a spiritual song, its sparser than almost anything here -- and certainly more so than on her former album. There is a small problem with Watershed (though on close reflection it reveals itself to be one of initial perception more than an actual flaw). Despite its wonderfully relaxed feel, an expert use of dynamics in individual songs, and the expert way of slotting different instrumental and stylistic elements next to one another and erasing the seams; its that by about track six, "Close Your Eyes," the album seems to bleed into a whole, where the mood is so laid-back it makes one song more or less indistinguishable from another -- unless you are listening very closely. At under 39 minutes, it can simply go by you in a slow, dissolving blur. One reason is that lang doesnt stretch vocally the way she has in the past; there is a restraint in her vocalizing that is refreshing because nowhere does she over-emote and allow her natural mode of expression to handle the words, and she inflects enough heart (and only enough) to get the song across: shes not selling it, shes presenting it to the listener. Thats new. She has a more disciplined approach to singing thats very attractive, but it is very different; one may mistake it for a kind of laziness on her part. On closer inspection, however, one can hear all the exceptions in these songs that prove this initial notion false. Theres the single, of course, and the utterly steamy, jazzy, "Sunday," that feels like an afternoon of lovemaking; Borowieckis vibraphone resembles Cal Tjaders light touch on the instrument, and the lithe, sinewy keyboard lines that intertwine and even embrace Piltchs basslines (acoustic and electric) are wan and hungry at once. "Flame of the Uninspired" is one place where lang allows her voice to go into its more readily expressive mode, and its because the tune warrants it. "Shadow and the Frame" is a string heavy ballad where arrangement, and langs harp (the classical one), bring that notion of travel, distance, reflection, and loneliness to the fore, but the words reveal something very different. Ultimately, its simply that the sound on Watershed is defined, elemental to its songs. It carries itself with dignity and sensuality, and a sense of balance that none of her previous records have been able to achieve. Its a fine return for the artist, an album she will most likely be proud of years from now. Many of her fans will no doubt be delighted with this artful yet accessible return, and hopefully, those who embraced the younger, wackier, campy aspect of langs persona will allow for the fact that there isnt anything close to that here. The overachiever has left the building; the seasoned artist remains. | ||
 | Album: 16 of 17 Title: Recollection Released: 2010-02-09 Tracks: 22 Duration: 1:35:46 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Trail of Broken Hearts (03:25) 2 Constant Craving (04:37) 3 The Air That I Breathe (05:59) 4 Helpless (04:15) 5 Youre OK (03:03) 6 Western Stars (03:14) 7 The Valley (05:30) 8 Summerfling (03:52) 9 Miss Chatelaine (03:49) 10 I Dream of Spring (04:00) 11 Hallelujah (05:04) 1 Help Me (04:00) 2 Hush Sweet Lover (04:06) 3 Beautifully Combined (02:43) 4 Crying (03:48) 5 Love for Sale (05:26) 6 Golden Slumbers / The End (04:17) 7 Barefoot (04:17) 8 Moonglow (04:34) 9 So in Love (04:40) 10 Calling All Angels (05:19) 11 Hallelujah (New version) (05:36) |
| Recollection : Allmusic album Review : Since 2006’s Reintarnation chronicled k.d. lang’s alt-country beginnings, there was a need for a compilation that focused on her smoky prime, the recordings from Ingénue on, the recordings that turned her into a crossover star. Recollection, available as either a double-disc or a deluxe set that expands that pair with a disc of live recordings and a DVD of music videos, does just that, painting a portrait of lang the modern-day torch singer. In doing so, it repeats a little of Reintarnation, but even those tunes don’t quite possess the wild, almost campy retro-swing of lang’s early years. Nothing about Recollection is camp: this is all smooth and assured, accentuating lang’s nuance if not her range, and if this winds up being a little too streamlined, at least it offers a better overall introduction to lang’s music than her previous compilation. | ||
 | Album: 17 of 17 Title: case/lang/veirs Released: 2016-06-14 Tracks: 14 Duration: 43:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Atomic Number (02:58) 2 Honey and Smoke (03:03) 3 Song for Judee (03:12) 4 Blue Fires (02:57) 5 Delirium (02:46) 6 Greens of June (04:13) 7 Behind the Armory (02:20) 8 Best Kept Secret (03:17) 9 1,000 Miles Away (02:57) 10 Supermoon (03:48) 11 I Want to Be Here (02:47) 12 Down I-5 (03:02) 13 Why Do We Fight (02:35) 14 Georgia Stars (03:18) |
| case/lang/veirs : Allmusic album Review : When artists of note collaborate on a project, the greatest obstacle is usually balance. The participants may truly respect one another, but as talent, ego, and personality enter the picture, someone is inevitably going to dominate the proceedings, and someone else will end up in the shadows. Neko Case, k.d. lang, and Laura Veirs seem keenly aware of this on the album case/lang/veirs, an album of songs the three singers and songwriters wrote and recorded between 2013 and 2015. And these songs often suggest a conscious effort to make sure everyone gets her share of the spotlight and that everyones strengths are put to good use. Oddly enough, one of the consequences of this is that k.d. lang, the strongest vocalist here, doesnt get as much time at center stage as one might expect, and ultimately she makes less of an impression than her partners. One could argue that lang potentially has the most to lose in this project; while Case and Veirs have healthy followings, lang is the genuine star here, but she hasnt made an album thats been as celebrated as her reputation in some time. While this project could have given lang a chance to step out of her comfort zone and try something new, here shes content to stick to atmospheric midtempo numbers that fit her skill set beautifully, but offer little in the way of surprises (beyond the irritating fake woodwinds on "1000 Miles Away"). However, Case and Veirs give her a chance to sing harmonies with vocalists who approach her own level of skill for a change, an opportunity she seems to relish, and here Case sounds most like the albums MVP. Cases cool, introspective indie rock approach dominates the albums melodies and production, her lead vocals are both naturalistic and dramatically effective, and she harmonizes beautifully with lang and Veirs. And Veirs ends up shining unexpectedly bright on case/lang/veirs; the sweet, homey modesty of her vocal approach is a pleasing complement to the more dramatic stylings of Case and lang, and she contributes a gorgeous uptempo pop tune to the set, "Best Kept Secret," as well as an affecting homage to Judee Sill. As much as case/lang/veirs strives to be an album that brings together three truly important artists, what it does best is broker a worthy compromise between their individual gifts and musical identities. While case/lang/veirs doesnt approach the greatness these women have managed on their own albums, it does offer more than a few beautiful moments they could not have achieved on their own. The result is a fascinating, rewarding experiment that deserves to be repeated. | ||