Badpuppy Gay Today |
Monday, 16 June, 1997 |
What would drag stardom mean without cigarette holders holding,
of course, cigarettes? This question somehow must have crossed
k.d. lang's mind as she recorded her newest album, DRAG.
On the cover is a female transvestite, probably k.d., the kidding
dyke. Though she's not holding any cigarette, it soon appears--glancing
over titles that this is going to be a collection of late night
cigarette songs that soothingly blows second-hand smoke in one's
face. Open the program. Hmmmm. There's also a little gallery of
beautifully photographed k.d. portraits--four in addition to the
cover. Wow! She's some joker!
This album begins with an eerie song, Don't Smoke In Bed,
the advice of a departing lover, starting off on a bit of a disquieting
note. Dismay over the dour lyrics is quickly rescued, however,
as rich orchestration kicks in and its clear there's good music
here, not to mention Ms. lang's igniting allure. Its in the second
song The Air That I Breathe with the guitar of Kevin
Brett just going--that the pure enjoyment of being with k.d. kicks
in bigtime. There's even a little sitar-extravaganza at the end
of this second cut. Snuggle in and listen with a quizzical smile.
The next piece, Smoke Rings is obviously a song written
to entice a somewhat stationary personality who, nevertheless,
in a semi-upbeat way, is wondering if the romance is kaput. "I
try to forget......each cigarette.." Good song, kind of an
oldie, maybe. Cough cough. Guaranteed to keep one stationary,
lyrics like these.
The slow warmth of the fourth song, My Last Cigarette,
captures those smooth, made-to-sound-easy chords that only k.d.
lang turns, as in this plaintive piece, into genius.
Joker, next, is k.d. doing the seductive temptress and
she does it well. These are dancing vocal sounds! Oh yeah. And,
Jimmie Haskel's orchestration is more than exemplary. He's the
Gordon Jenkins of the 90's.
Be whisked away after Joker to some long ago lost feelings
first recorded for the movie by the same title in 1968: Gotta
get up, get on, get away, away from The Valley of the Dolls.
The version here on DRAG is this song at its best.
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Your Smoke Screen sounds like a sort of Leonard Cohen type
song. Its great.
But then, suddenly,oooooooo there's My Old Addiction, originally
titled "Chet Baker's Unsung Swan Song," and sung while
orchestrally accompanied with a perfection that puts k.d. lang
and company squarely up there among North America's great stars,
no matter the lower case letters in her name. This song is pure
enjoyment. And k.d. gives it its proper due, an unrivaled, haunting
celebration of lyrics and melody. Yow.
In fact, as this album plays on, horns, guitars keyboards, bass,
drums, etc. and k.d.'s extraordinary voice, it seems almost superfluous
to rave about it interminably. Each of its cuts is a masterpiece.
DRAG is one of the great musical productions of all time. OK?
OK? It is not only theatrical understanding, lush romanticism,
heady lyricism, but everything else too-- in the grand grand style.
Whew.
This k.d. kid's proving herself a goddess. Its obvious. Just
listen.
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© 1997 BEI;
All Rights Reserved. |