Invincible
Summer k. d. lang
k.d. lang may still go
lowercase, but Invincible Summer is Love-struck with a
capital L. Following in the footsteps of the multiplatinum Ingénue
and the underappreciated All
You Can Eat, the singer's first album of original material
since 1995 displays her hyperromantic side. Inventive production
by Damian Le Gassick places lang's rich vocals in settings that
meld electric and acoustic guitar lines, harpsichords, string
arpeggios, and various aural bachelorette-pad accoutrements. The
record's overwhelmingly smitten tone sweeps the listener along,
making even silly sentiments like "In this crazy world full
of lemons / Baby, you're lemonade" sound just right. The
vividness of emotion on display here, along with the smart
retro-modern sound, make this one you'll listen to long past
September. --Rickey Wright
Drag
k. d. lang
Sensual, seductive, and above all smoky, the
latest from k.d. lang is a collection of a dozen tunes that all
have some connection to smoking--usually in the romantic,
post-coital sense--done up in a lush, orchestrated fashion. Some
of these tunes are standards, such as "Smoke Dreams" and
"My Last Cigarette," while others are just plain strange
selections given some of the oddest readings imaginable. Case in
point: the cover of Steve Miller's "The Joker." lang's
voice is an incredible instrument, and it's a treat to hear her
vamping. But you have to wonder what she's up to, especially
because she seems to just say no to tobacco herself, --Jim
Derogatis
k.
d. lang by Rose Collis
Since k. d. lang's emergence in the mid-80s,
Rose Collis has keenly observed the fascinating odyssey that has
taken this unusual singer from performance art, via anarchic
Country and Western to world-class, Grammy award-winning chanteuse
status. This insightful, eclectic and often witty Outline explores
lang's career and life to date, placing her in the context of the
social and political times that have influenced both author and
subject. She shows how lang's androgynously sexy image, her
Canadian identity, her commitments to animal rights and the fight
against AIDS, and her openness about her sexuality have all played
their part in marking her out as both an important and influential
musician and lesbian icon.
