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.

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.