K.D. Lang - Live By Request
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Free Music Notes for Live By Request
Free Music Review: A nearly perfect album from a perfect voice
Hit: 4 Stars
Let's get this right from the start. I LOVE k.d. lang. Her voice gives me chills any time I hear her. She is unbelievably talented, a refreshing vocal delight in a sea of Britneys and Backstreet Boys.With that said, this disc is a stunning live performance in its own right. For anyone who has never seen her live, this is a great introduction to the sheer power that she radiates from the stage. From a haunting rendition of "Wash Me Clean" to the my-ears-are-still-ringing-and-my-spine-is-tingling performance of the Patsy Cline standard "Three Cigarettes In An Ashtray," this CD mesmerizes you from first listen.
What kept it from getting five stars instead of four is, quite simply, that this is not her best performance. Having heard her live several times, I was a tiny bit disappointed here because I thought she was restrained on a couple of tracks. Her inherited-and-now-signature live song, Roy Orbison's "Crying," is almost always a show-stopper resulting in thunderous standing ovation. Here, it's still breathtaking, but you can almost hear her holding back, perhaps out of growing too familiar with the track...?
At any rate, I bought this the moment it came out, and once again, I am thoroughly impressed. It's a request I am glad I made.
Free Music Review: Great Voice, Weak Production
Hit: 4 Stars
lang shall always be one of my fave ever singers & her albums All You Can Eat & Invincible Summer two of my fave ever albums; however this live showcase is not the best that I feel kd could have performed. A selection of greatest hits, they are all sung remarkably brilliantly (I couldn't expect anything else), however the production seems uneven, the instrumentation weak & the choice of songs feel as if they are obligatory performances rather than choosing songs which really would have fared better live! (Infinite & Unforeseen, When We Collide & Only Love for example). Maybe that's a selfish attitude, cos there are kd songs which I just love unconditionally. Nevertheless the songs her are brilliant (in particular Consequence of Falling, the aching Pullin Back The Reins, the dark Black Coffee), plus the obligatory sleeper-hit Constant Craving. The audience takes some time to warm up but lang commandes attention. With a voice of silk & heartfelt renditions of these classics, the album is a rarer example of a consistent live! album, although as I said before the sound & instrumentation lack that certain edge. Otherwise this would have been 5 stars.Free Music Review: lang's Voice Stands Out Among Contemporary Pop Artists
Hit: 4 Stars
Until Live By Request, I had never purchased a k.d. lang c.d.. Long a Tony Bennett fan, I had the pleasure of seeing Tony with k.d. in concert two weeks ago. k.d. lang could very well be THE best voice in pop today. Her quirkiness, I believe, is the only thing that has held her back from being bigger than she is. Sadly, some of her material is rather quixotic. On the right song, however, there's none any better than lang. Live By Request opens with the upbeat, addictive tune "Summerfling," off lang's last c.d. "Invincible Summer." Among other highlights are her stunning versions of Roy Orbison's "Crying" and Peggy Lee's "Don't Smoke in Bed." Also included are her hits "Constant Craving" and "Black Coffee."
I would say that this, among any other, is the one k.d. lang c.d. you should buy. It's highlights her catalog and it's quite a performance.
Free Music Review: Not so live
Hit: 4 Stars
As a long time fan I have eagerly awaited an 'official' live recording from k.d. I have enjoyed her in concert on numerous occasions,and have been enjoying an excellent bootleg from the All You Can Eat Tour for several years now. With her incredible voice and impeccable musicianship how could the 'official' release be anything but fantastic? Well I'm sorry to say that although the voice is just as breathtaking as ever, there was something missing and I found the recording to be a disappointment. After several listenings it became obvious that the missing ingredient was the lack of electricity and intimacy between performer and audience that I had been so fortunate to enjoy in the past.Free Music Review: Nice, but too much for 2 channels...
Hit: 4 Stars
I LOVE k d and think she has one of the most gorgeous voices on Earth. But I can understand the commentator who reviewed the DVD and said the CD version was "dead on arrival."
Somehow the sound of the mix is just too congested for stereo. (I will have to get the DVD and see if it works better in 5.1). The mix is also rather brittle and a bit bright, and somehow I didn't feel her voice is shown in the best light.
This unfortunately kept me a bit from enjoying the performance...until "Constant Craving" which absolutely blew my socks off.
Get this, but on DVD I think.