k.d. lang - Hymns of the 49th Parallel
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Music CD Cover
Artist: k.d. langEdition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2004-07-27
Music Label: Nonesuch
Soundtracks:
- After the Gold Rush (Young)
- Simple (lang/Piltch)
- Helpless (Young)
- A Case of You (Mitchell)
- The Valley (Siberry)
- Hallelujah (Cohen)
- One Day I Walk (Cockburn)
- Fallen (Sexsmith)
- Jericho (Mitchell)
- Bird on a Wire (Cohen)
- Love Is Everything (Siberry)
Free Music Notes for Hymns of the 49th Parallel
Free Music Review: Mellow, easy listening, with the definitive version of Hallelujah
Hit: 4 Stars
K.D.Lang, a woman whose voice I regard as one of the greatest in music, takes to covering songs from her homeland, Canada. Not really being that familiar with Canadian music [I'd be surprised if I could name 50 Canadian songs-though listening to this album would nudge me close to that mark], I can't say how well or otherwise she has chosen her songs. Perhaps there are better songs she could have covered? In any case, she delivers a consistently mellow and laid-back treatment of the songs she sings here.
There are some artists she honours by covering two of their tracks: Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen and Jane Sibery. Of the little I've heard of Joni Mitchell, I'd have to say that I would rather have heard "Both sides now" tackled by Lang, but I suppose the danger there would be that their treatments wouldn't be that differentiated.
The absolute highlight of this album is Lang's version of "Hallelujah". Can't really say that I've heard the definitive Cohen version...did see a You Tube version by him which must have been more recent. His voice isn't the best and K.D. really finds a beautiful melody for this song and a wonderful vocal style...she has a very pure, silky voice. In any case, Lang does signal her version as being The Definitive version of this song...the one which marks out its melodic territory. Perhaps the difference between the snippet I've heard from Cohen and Lang's version is akin to the difference between the original Mondo Rock version of "Touch of paradise" and John Farnham's sublime new arrangement. And Ross Wilson, of Mondo Rock, is one of pop/rock's greatest vocalists too.
Of the other songs, I liked "After the goldrush" and "Simple". A criticism of this album, I suppose, is that there is a certain sameness to the sound, which is only occasionally breached towards the end of the album.
Lang's vocals and the instruments used, like piano, accoustic guitar, violin and orchestra etc. make this album's sound sort of "lounge" ambiance wise.
Some assorted notes I made of other songs here:
"Helpless"-reminded me of Nancy Sinatra's all time classic "These boots are made for walking", as far as the guitar sound goes. Less mellow than the first two tracks which precede it.
"A case of you"-features a double bass, I think.
"One day I walk"-features an organ and sounds a little country. Not sure if this song also features an accordion or some such.
"Bird on wire"-is another song which features the organ.
Lastly, did notice K.D. hit a bung note in "Love is everything". Since her singing is usually so pure, you really notice an aberration like that!
I'm giving this album 7/10. K.D.Lang is a real talent.
Hymns of the 49th Parallel Poster
Was it homesickness that compelled longtime Los Angeles resident k.d. lang to fashion her one-woman campaign for north-of-the-border nationalism, or just plain good sense? All Canadian content has long been a mainstay of the Canadian Broadcasting System, but few have selected their material with such a fine hand and a high aesthetic. The expatriate singer has taken great pains to create a sophisticated homage to her Canadian roots, elegantly reinterpreting 11 songs penned by some of her more illustrious countrymen (and women) such as Jane Siberry, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and Leonard Cohen. The idiosyncratic chanteuse turns Cohen's "Bird on a Wire" into an aching monochromatic lament, exploring new tributaries of pain that didn't exist in the original, while recasting Neil Young's "Helpless" into a haunting anthem of memory and comfort, all the while sounding anything but helpless. A gorgeous love letter to her brethren, complete with an intelligent and understated orchestration. --Jaan UhelszkiHymns of the 49th Parallel fulfills k.d. lang's longstanding desire to create a Canadian songbook. On the album, her first for Nonesuch Records, she pays homage to fellow Canadian artists including Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, Jane Siberry, Ron Sexsmith, and Bruce Cockburn.
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