I can't exactly remember either the song or the awards show I saw her perform it on. It had to be either Roy Orbison's "Crying" or maybe "Constant Craving." I also want to say that it was on the Grammy awards. Now that I think about it, I remember running out to buy Absolute Torch and Twang the next day so that drops "Constant Craving" from the running.
Anyway, at that point I had read an article or two about k.d. lang, but hadn't heard a note. There was certainly a buzz going on in the press, and that television performance proved that the buzz was well-founded. This woman could sing!
It's easy to look at the early history of lang's career and see it as another case of Nashville not knowing what to do with a major talent, one that didn't quite fit in. In retrospect, it hardly matters. The transition that saw lang's work with The Reclines morph into the adult pop of Ingénue serves as a history of her career in microcosm. To that high lonesome sound of a Roy Orbison and the melodic range of a Patsy Cline (both of whom lang admired greatly), lang added both tremendous power and sensitivity. If an artist as great as Tony Bennett can refer to her as the best singer since Judy Garland, well...you know she's got something special going on. There's surely the way I felt when I first heard her.
The weird thing is that Ingénue was the last record of hers that I bought. It might be that was right around the time my JazzSnob™ phase kicked in. Too bad, because Recollection has opened my ears to what I've been missing.
Drawing from 25 years of music making, the first two discs comprise the best of k.d. lang. 22 songs that include material from Absolute Torch and Twang ("Trail of Broken Hearts") all the way through "I Dream Of Spring" from 2008's Watershed. The first disc concentrates on material from lang's 'regular' releases while disc 2 showcases all of the songs she has contributed to other records and film soundtracks. While I was apparently not paying attention, lang has recorded: with Jane Siberry for the film Until the End of the World, "Help Me" (A Tribute to Joni Mitchell), "Love For Sale" (The Black Dahlia), and Cole Porter's "So In Love" for the Red, Hot & Blue compilation.
Article comments
1 - El Bicho
always been a big fan
2 - FCEtier
It was sheer luck. I happened to be watching the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson when Lang made her debut.
Stunning! Her appearance was attention-getting but her voice was incredible.
Carson almost fell out of his chair. From quick cuts to Doc Severenson and the band, you could see that they really appreciated her talent as well. What a great memory.
It's on YouTube if you want to see it.
Excellent review.
3 - Mark Saleski
yes, i know that *exact* reaction!...and now i have an urge to go buy up everything else of hers i don't already own.