k.d. lang - Live by Request
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Free Music Notes for Live by Request
Free Music Review: Real talent - Not so perfect occasion
Hit: 4 Stars
I've been a devoted fan of kd for over 12 years - I absolutely love her for her talent - as a singer and a performer, she's everything she wants to be. It'd certainly help if you've watched the DVD of this Live by Request - but otherwise, I honestly find it hard to imagine the CD to be her best or anything near her best. Some of the stronger bits that were included in the DVD are unavailable here - while the band were at their best backing kd - and the music in some of the tracks on this CD is either a bit too loud or too soft. In a couple of tracks, like 'The Consequence of Falling', it does not back kd's vocal very well at certain moments and seems to slack of at some point. kd sounds as amazing as always on most tracks but if you have followed her recordings (including guest appearances in other concerts, etc.) you'd have to admit she's given better performance of some of these songs, such as 'Barefoot' or her classic, 'Constant Craving'. The editing is good and you dont get any abrupt or awkward bits, but on the other hand, there dont seem to be too many sparks in the interaction between kd and the audience. She moves them - as much as she wants to - there's no doubt about it, but I suggest those who're interested in kd check out her other live recordings, or mp3, where you hear her being slightly less reserved or subdued. One of the reasons could be it's not her own tour - that it's Live by Request by someone else's production and she is not doing some of the things she would do in her own concerts, which you'd have to see for yourself. On the whole - I wouldnt recommend listening or buying this CD before you watch the DVD, or are already familiar with most of her other records. I dont want to undermine the opinions of those who love this record - it's good, it showcases kd's talent with a fairly good selection of songs, but the production doesnt present kd at her best, and she certainly has sounded even better in some of the tracks we love here.
Free Music Review: Great concert performance by k. d. lang
Hit: 4 Stars
Kathryn Dawn Lang from Consort, Alberta, is a brave artist, a spokesperson for small-town lesbian dreams, a true triumph of talent over image and packaging, a cultural icon for our times. She is also a fantastic live performer, as this live work beautifully demonstrates. Recorded in New York in December of 2000, this CD features some of la lang's greatest hits and a few delightful surprises to showcase her vocal range and the vast variety of musical styles she has experimented with throughout her eventful career. The 40s-ish cover artwork suggests that she is content with being label "our generation's Rosemary Clooney"--a crooner and stylist extraordinaire. She's Rosemary Clooney, Patsy Cline, Peggy Lee, Tammy Wynette, and many others all rolled into one amazing, original superdiva. The CD opens with the breezy, bossa nova-inflected "Summerfling," from the underappreciated CD of the same name. In this performance, Ms. lang adds elements of rock and even reggae, showing off how comfortable and playful she can be in concert. The second track, "Big Boned Gal," is a fun rockabilly number with a playful lesbian sensibility. The third track, her cover of Sonny Burke and Paul Francis Webster's classic "Black Coffee," adds a twangy steel guitar to her languid, seductive vocal. Next is the lang/Ben Mink song "Trail of Broken Hearts," one of the most beautiful, haunting melodies Ms. lang has ever graced with her vocal. This version is even better than the original, although it remains very close to album version. The fifth track is her gorgeous cover of Roy Orbison's "Crying," and a fitting tribute to her famous duet partner. Her vocal is much stronger than in the original, and she illicits thrilled applause from her audience when she nails the tricky high notes. Back into Peggy Lee territory, with the sixth track, "Don't Smoke in Bed." The song was made famous by Peggy Lee, and lang's smokey, piano-kissed version would likely have delighted the legendary Miss Peggy Lee. Next is the wistful "The Consequences of Falling," from the "Summerfling" CD. Listening to the live version, we can't imagine her repertoire without this song, and it makes a great lead-in to the heady, swirling "Miss Chatelaine." The U.S. and European listeners didn't get the joke, but we Canadians know what a dubious honour it was for a "big-boned gal" from Consort to be graced with the title "Miss Chatelaine." Knowing that "Chatelaine" magazine is a somewhat kitschy, retrospective publication offering advice on how to beautify your kitchen, yard, and marriage, we Canadians smile at k. d.'s campy humour. The ninth song is the Miller/Stevenson torchy "Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray," a nod to one of Ms. lang's idols, Patsy Cline. There was something in Patsy Cline's music which perfectly captured the loneliness and isolation of life in small-town western Canada, which perhaps explain's lang's fascination with Cline. The tenth song is the most surprising inclusion, the forgotten gem "Barefoot," from the Percy Adlon film. The orchestration is spare and delicate, the vocal particularly poignant and haunting in this performance. There are few songs which capture the essence of a long, cold, prairie winter better than this one, especially for a young gay person, whose feelings increase the sense of isolation. This is followed by a rousing rendition of "Constant Craving," still probably Miss Chatelaine's--er, I mean, Ms. lang's biggest hit. The vocal is a little looser than in the original, but the emotion remains intact. The twelfth song is the slow, quiet "Wash me Clean," from her famous "Ingenue" CD. As in "Barefoot," the production is clean and spare, to keep the pure and delicate vocal unencumbered. Next is the lang/Ben Mink composition "Pullin' Back the Reins," a tip of the tattered felt hat to k. d.'s country past. It is testament to her talents as a songwriter that we can imagine someone like Patsy Cline or Peggy Lee covering this song and still making it sound great. The CD closes with the folksy, ethereal "Simple," which evokes the sound of her fellow Canadians Jane Siberry and Sarah McLachlan. Ms. lang ends a spectacular concert with a simple, understated "Thank you." We your loyal fans are the grateful ones, k. d.Free Music Review: Sweet, Sultry and Oh-So Seductive....
Hit: 4 Stars
That's K.D. Lang. The collection is a bit weak, especially "Big Boned Gal", but it works because K.D. knows how to woo an audience. As the track progresses you get a true feeling of Lang's range, and her dramatic abilities. She is simply electric. This may not be your choice as her best work, but it is a marvelous introduction to a very talented (albeit controversial) recording artist. Blessings,
Cris
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: There is nothing like k.d. live!
Hit: 5 Stars
Looking for a K.D. Lang introduction? This is a great start! K.D. Lang is amazing live. If you ever get a chance to see her, you will not regret it! She has such energy and gets so playful ? she makes you feel like you are the only person in the room with her. This CD is pretty dang close to that experience! Crank it up on your walkman and dance around to ?Summerfling? or ?Miss Chatelaine?. And when you hear K.D. belt out Roy Orbinson?s ?Crying? you?ll fall in love. If you don?t own any KD music, or have only heard one or two songs, you should know that she is one of those people who likes to discover new styles of music and try new things. So if you don?t like one song or even one album, try a different one! She is so immensely talented and has a voice that can sing anything. Her early stuff was very country or rock-a-billy. Then Shadownlands is some of her best vocal work ever. Ingenue was probably her biggest commercial success because it has a number of songs with good ?hooks?. And her newer stuff is has a ?pop? edge to it that is really fun. This CD is a good introduction because it has something from all of those ?eras? of K.D.)
And obviously if you love k.d. then you should definitely own this CD!