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| k.d.
lang, Reintarnation |
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| REVIEWED
BY ROBERT BALLANTYNE, POSTED ON APRIL 26,
2006 |
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When the Consort,
Alberta-born k.d. lang first arrived on the country music scene
in 1984, her style both confounded and angered the country establishment.
Highlights of this interesting era can be found in lang's first
and very appropriately-titled retrospective, Reintarnation.
In this 20-track collection, it's easy to hear what upset the
traditionalists so much. Lang's cowpunk mix of Hee Haw-esque
instrumentation and roots rock were so theatrically over-the-top
(like the bouncy "Big Boned Gal" and "Hanky Panky")
that it's difficult to tell if she's being earnest or intentionally
sending up the genre. However, lang eventually found her footing
in the industry and softened that ironic edge as her
talent became more appreciated with her third record, Shadowland — an
album noticeably absent from Reintarnation aside
from one track, “Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes.” Yet,
even after scoring her greatest mainstream success with her fourth
record, the gold-selling Absoulte Torch and Twang, lang
moved her theatrical style to the pop arena, where she found
even greater success with 1992's Ingenue and the hit “Constant
Craving.” Still, Reintarnation is
a worthy and interesting artifact for long-time fans and for
those who discovered lang as an adult contemporary pop and torch
singer. Lang's gorgeous voice and sweeping vocal range still
shine through the camp and fiddles, ("Pulling Back the Reins" and "Trail
of Broken Hearts" are great examples), but in the timbres
of that awe-inspiring voice are the early sounds of a maverick
searching for her place in an unwelcoming industry, a fitting
subtextual tribute to her years spent in country music. (Sire/Rhino)  |
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