k.d. lang - where to start?

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Hey,
I want to give k.d. lang a chance. What should I listen to?

― Jay Kid (Jay K), Sunday, 14 November 2004 22:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Absolute Torch and Twang

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Sunday, 14 November 2004 23:16 (twenty-one years ago)

shadowland

― bulbs (bulbs), Monday, 15 November 2004 00:15 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm not normally into the KDL - but I always really liked "Constant Craving".

― Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Monday, 15 November 2004 02:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Her cover of Cohen's Hallelujah.

― king of the eyesores (papa november), Monday, 15 November 2004 02:47 (twenty-one years ago)

"All You Can Eat" is divine and underrated. She can sing anything and it is just melty and gorgeous. God, "Summerfling" alone makes me swoon.

― edward o (edwardo), Monday, 15 November 2004 03:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Sexuality from all you can eat is just about the sexiest song ever.

― king of the eyesores (papa november), Monday, 15 November 2004 04:19 (twenty-one years ago)

It really depends what sort of mood you're in, really. I think of the early "country" stuff, the best choice is Shadowland. She got old-school country producer Owen Wilson in to record that session, and it's one of the most authentic ones she did; none of the wackiness that made some of the early stuff tiring to people who didn't quite get her wacky lesbian-with-a-lariat schtick.

For the pop stuff, the obvious pick is Injenue...it's the one the broke her wide into the pop audience, and it had "Miss Chatelaine" and "Constant Craving" on it. I have nothing bad to say about that album at all, but most of the time I think I prefer All You Can Eat too. The production on that one was SO DRY, there's almost no reverb on it, and everything is just so...you can really tell that she's got it there, because when most voices are recorded like that you can hear the flaws, but she nails it. The song "Maybe" is understated, but it's absolutely brilliant.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Monday, 15 November 2004 04:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Doh, that's Owen BRADLEY. I'd hate to hear what an album produced by Owen Wilson would sound like.

By the way, I'd also second Absolute Torch and Twang as a country album too. There's those four albums in a row that were fantastic.

The new one is quite good too, if a touch icy. It made me realize how much I loved the song "Hallelujah", though I think I still prefer the Lenny C version best.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Monday, 15 November 2004 04:33 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm normally into kdL, and I really hate "Constant Craving"

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Monday, 15 November 2004 04:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Ingenue is far and away her best album.

― retort pouch (retort pouch), Monday, 15 November 2004 05:24 (twenty-one years ago)

The new album is great for the two Jane Siberry songs alone, "The Valley" and "Love is Everything", which come off so much better than Jane's originals. They're wonderful songs: I'd like a full album of Siberry covers next.

I remember liking All You Can Eat at the time, but I haven't heard it in ages. Come to think of it, I think I have a copy hidden away. maybe i'll put it on.

What was the consensus on her 'electronica' album, anyhow?

― derrick (derrick), Monday, 15 November 2004 05:46 (twenty-one years ago)

"If I Were You" from All You Can Eat is really good.

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 15 November 2004 05:50 (twenty-one years ago)

(I haven't actually heard the rest of the album.)

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 15 November 2004 05:50 (twenty-one years ago)

I got my copy out again after the latest album came out. Some of the production is a little dated, but some of it sounded surprisingly fresh.

― king of the eyesores (papa november), Monday, 15 November 2004 05:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Icy--that's a good way to describe that album, but it's not icy in a bad way, just--Canadian, I guess! She's just great and it's exciting to think about someone listening to all those songs for the first time. She's something else in concert too--I saw her once in Boulder Colorado and was surprised at how well she worked the audience. Before she went on, I was washing my hands in the ladies' room and some lady ran in and gasped, "Omigod--- MARTINA is here!!" Cue screams, it was such a moment.

― teeny (teeny), Monday, 15 November 2004 07:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Just dug out All You Can Eat, and it's wonderful, so thanks ILX for making me find it again. It was in a pile of CDs that I'd tried to sell, but were rejected. in retrospect, damn, that was close. This is going back into my collection.

It's nice to see such love here; she gets an unfair MOR rap in Canada, but that may be due to her occasional ubiquity. Goddamn CanCon does weird things sometimes.

Ingenue was HUGE. I have a copy of that too, and it's going on next.

― derrick (derrick), Monday, 15 November 2004 08:51 (twenty-one years ago)

The new album is great for the two Jane Siberry songs alone, "The Valley" and "Love is Everything", which come off so much better than Jane's originals

Now derrick, you know this is madness talking. These are great covers, but Jane's originals are fannnnnntastic. But this does point to a great crossover between the two that really needs to be mentioned, and that's the track "Calling All Angels", which is a duet between the two and one of the best things that appeared on that particular Jane album (or the soundtrack it was originally on...Until the End of the World I think.)

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Monday, 15 November 2004 14:13 (twenty-one years ago)

I saw her touring off the back of drag which wasn't the greatest album, but it was a very fine gig.

― king of the eyesores (papa november), Monday, 15 November 2004 14:14 (twenty-one years ago)

I notice that no one's mentioned Drag yet...I found it a huge disappointment, but then I think I was just put off by the subject matter. Nobody else got into it though? I didn't like Summerfling much either, but I noticed a bit of love upthread.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Monday, 15 November 2004 14:15 (twenty-one years ago)

er xpost

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Monday, 15 November 2004 14:16 (twenty-one years ago)

one of the best things that appeared on that particular Jane album

yes. That album was When I Was A Boy, and it's one of Jane's best. I haven't heard these KD covers, I must get around to this. I can imagine her pulling off "Love Is Everything" better than Jane (even though the original is great too), but I refuse to believe that there's much out there which can top "The Valley", which is the song I want played at my funeral.

Anyway, I'm going with the consensus here - start off with Ingénue, and closely follow it with All You Can Eat.

No one's mentioned "The Mind Of Love", wtf? It's a great song - the strings!

― The Lex (The Lex), Monday, 15 November 2004 14:20 (twenty-one years ago)

...On drag kd lang covers roy orbisons 'til the heart caves in' which is def. the highlight of the album, in fact i'd go as far to say, it's the best cover i've heard her do.

― king of the eyesores (papa november), Monday, 15 November 2004 14:33 (twenty-one years ago)

o man i'm dling that stat

― cinniblount (James Blount), Monday, 15 November 2004 14:37 (twenty-one years ago)

or the soundtrack it was originally on...Until the End of the World I think

And Pay it Forward or was that a cover?

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Monday, 15 November 2004 14:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Miss Chatelaine is a lovely old song

― Freelance Hiveminder (blueski), Monday, 15 November 2004 14:39 (twenty-one years ago)

I think it was a cover on Pay it forward, but it was def. on Until the end of the world (I have the s'track sitting here on the desk)

I know I've heard a version without kd lang on it though, it may have been the album version on siberry's album 'when i was a boy'.

― king of the eyesores (papa november), Monday, 15 November 2004 14:43 (twenty-one years ago)

no, KD's on the album version too...

― The Lex (The Lex), Monday, 15 November 2004 14:45 (twenty-one years ago)

She also did a duet with Roy for 'Crying' did she not?

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Monday, 15 November 2004 14:47 (twenty-one years ago)

really? Thats weird. Maybe it was a single. This is going back several years now.

x-post

Yeah, it's on some Roy Orbison and Friends type video when she was still in her cowgirlish stage (see: Bad mullety spikey hair)

― king of the eyesores (papa november), Monday, 15 November 2004 14:48 (twenty-one years ago)

It was one of the last things Roy Orbison did I thought. But I don't see it on allmusic.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Monday, 15 November 2004 15:01 (twenty-one years ago)

it's on the soundtrack to the jon cryer vehicle "hiding out". ie. download it.

― cinniblount (James Blount), Monday, 15 November 2004 15:16 (twenty-one years ago)

"Ingeniue" is a great pop album. May not be particularly typical of her style though.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 15 November 2004 23:47 (twenty-one years ago)

"Omigod--- MARTINA is here!!"

Navratilova, rather than McBride?

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Monday, 15 November 2004 23:53 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah, she lives around there. Is Martina McBride a lesbian icon too?

― teeny (teeny), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 01:18 (twenty-one years ago)

I'll second KoTE's mention of 'Til The Heart Caves In' - a pretty stunning song & rendition. 'Drag' isn't her best, but is amazingly languid overall.

― Walkathon, Tuesday, 16 November 2004 02:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Actually, I'd like to add to my earlier comments about drag that 'Ain't it funny' is also a pretty good song for her with a nifty twist in the tail but yeah, drag = thumbs down.

― king of the eyesores (papa november), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 04:28 (twenty-one years ago)

three months pass...

lisening to drag, and the levels of metaphors and meaning, the oral fixatiuon, the lonliness, the almost camp theatrics, the complicated rigous emotions--the tightness and the looseness.

i think its my favourite of hers, and the closest to the torch singers she got v. close to being (as good as sinatra or peggy lee at their finest, vocally)

one of the most innovative interpertive singers, and deeply under rated

is the duet album w. tony bennet any good

― anthony easton (anthony), Monday, 14 March 2005 09:42 (twenty-one years ago)

fourteen years pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or-0aIHtD2Q&fbclid=IwAR0XoE3uaegFAeLAYxK9J5xJOJfAhXAjVx5W3WVLqCGk_1CGkTpsPx1VZms

― Good taste, bit Victorian but who isn't? (jed_), Monday, 24 February 2020 22:31 (six years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or-0aIHtD2Q

― Good taste, bit Victorian but who isn't? (jed_), Monday, 24 February 2020 22:31 (six years ago)

she feels that so deeply. incredible.

― Good taste, bit Victorian but who isn't? (jed_), Tuesday, 25 February 2020 02:09 (six years ago)

three years pass...

I've loved All You Can Eat for almost thirty (!) years. Nothing like it in 1995. The vacuum-sealed production makes the songs sound as if recorded in Mason jars.

― poppers fueled buttsex crescendo (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 9 February 2024 21:18 (two years ago)

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