WHO is singing that song??? You're kidding!

OK, so there I am at lunch one day last week. I decide to walk over to the bookstore/music store/coffee shop (Olsson’s, for those of you in the DC area) across the street from the office and check out what’s new.

I’m taking a look through the racks, and realize that the song playing over the store’s sound system is really catchy. It’s female vocals, super-retro music with strings, and a great melody and chord changes. The song finishes up, the next song comes on, and it’s good, too.

Being a sucker for the female voice, I think, “Wow, this is really good! I should see who it is, maybe pick it up.” I head up to the counter to see what CD is sitting on the little “Now Playing” easel.

It’s k.d. lang.

k.d. lang?!?! What? I mean, talk about an artist whose recordings I not only don’t own, but actively dislike! And here her new one is this great retro-pop album. That really flipped me out, especially since I’ll probably end up buying it.

I read something in the paper the other day that said (paraphrasing) she was trying to change her image (longer hair, less mannish clothing) to see if she could appeal to a broader range of people. Her “handlers” apparently thought that the music wasn’t the problem, it was her overtly dyke-ish appearance.

Consider yourself suckered by The Man.

KD is a great talent. I remember seeing her at a local club in the 80’s, back when she was part of “K.D. Lang and the Reclines”, and was just blown away by her talent.

I also love ‘Constant Craving’. Great song.

kd lang was amazing before she became the earnest lesbian crooner that she is today.

Like dhanson, I saw her perform a couple of times in the mid-1980’s. She rocked. She’s got a lot of talent - although personally, I preferred her when she didn’t take herself quite so seriously.

There was an artical in the Detroit News yesterday saying that her new music style is a result of her falling in love. I know I change the type of music I listen to in response to my feelings at the time. I don’t see why someone wouldn’t change the types of songs they sing. Being happy can change a lot of things about a person.

I have three of her early CDs. I stopped when Ingenue came out–didn’t buy that one. I was big time into country music (still am, to a lesser extent), and I thought she had (has?) one of the more beautiful voices I’ve heard.

Her Absolute Torch and Twang is on my top ten all-time list. What a voice! I wish she would get back to the genre that launched her.

If you saw KD live in the 80’s, one thing that really jumped out at you was her sense of humor and fun. That has never translated to her non-live performances, or maybe she lost that sense of humor somewhere along the way.

She was on a tv show here in Australia a few weeks ago (The Panel), and her sense of humour seems to be definitely intact. I’ve always admired her, even though I’m not a fan (I hate Country music) and this little vignette reinforced to me how cool she is.