Labels:text | screenshot | font OCR: AM/FM "Ingenue" by k.d.lang Total Time: 42:01 Publisher: Sire/Warner Bros. CD Code: 7599-26840-2 Review by David Cassidy, of Cynostic AM/FM rating: 9/10 k.d.lang is an odd creature. Not in that she's got fifteen arms and one eye in the middle of her forehead. Far from it. Odd, in the sense that nobody knows quite what to make of her. For a start, she completely denies her own gender, defending her Lesbian tendencies to the extreme. In fact, she she was recently described in "Q" magazine as the "Uri Geller of gender". Her concerts are always full of both female and male admirers. (Knickers and Y-fronts thrown on stage? 8-) She has, up to now, been regarded as a country artist with a bit of folk thrown in. Yet she's enormously fashionable at the moment. Since when has country been fashionable? She bounds between seduction and repulsion, flits over and under the entire sexual debate and generally causes many headaches to anyone who attempts to categorise her. Add to this the fact that, although she is relatively unknown to most people across the world, she has already worked with great artists like the late, great Roy Orbison on a remake of "Crying" which was fairly successful in the UK last year. Maybe "odd" is the wrong word for k.d.lang. "Complex" probably fits better. Whatever, her music speaks for itself. It really is full of enormously catchy melodies, insistently addictive country rhythms and instrumentation and lyrics that remind you, strangely, of syrup. Why? Well, they're smoother than honey and sweeter than butter, dripping lavishly from the speakers as k.d. goes through her repertoire of gorgeously crafted songs. But enough hyperbole! (I really must stop reading "NME"!) There are ten tracks on the CD, all with a distinct country feel. Having grown up with music like this I have a sort of natural liking for this genre. Don't get me wrong - I don't rush out and buy Dolly Parton albums by the bucket load - but I do like its laid back style. Rather than listen to Jarre, for example, I might chuck on a country album to mellow out. It's like Chris Isaak how can anyone not become "chilled" when listening to that sort of music? Anyway - to cease rambling for a minute! - the CD is jammed to the brim with gorgeous melodies and exploratory guitars. Nothing too experimental but the -acoustics are quite unique. The first track, "Save Me", is a perfect example of the harmonies lang achieves through her own singular voice. (Incidentally, her name is spelt k. .d.lang, without the capitals. At least, I haven't seen it different anywhere else! Her real name is Kathy Dawn but apparently nobody but her mother and manager are allowed to call her that!) The majority of the songs concern themselves with love, affection and caring. Don't take away the notion that lang is stuck in the rut of country music. Rather, she jumps sometimes into a modern-day equivalent of the "beat" songs of The Beatles and such. Violins and extravagent percussion make this effect quite stunning. Her humour is also quite evident, her lyrics becoming oddly funny in their own ■quirky way. Having said this, explorations of the depths of emotion balance the album superbly. My absolute favourite track is "Constant Craving", the first single release from the CD, closely followed by "Season Of Hollow Soul" which is simply wonderful. Her long-term collaboration with Ben Mink, her co-writer and producer, seems to have rounded langs' skill in songwriting and all of the tracks here are of the highest quality. I cannot recommend the CD enough for those who like this sort of music and, even, those who don't. It really is something quite different. Refreshingly different. Write to me! David Cassidy, 85 Wyken Croft, Coventry, CVZ 3AD, UNITED KINGDOM. Or telephone: +44 (0)203 613817 Or fax: +44 (0)203 682084 AM/FM
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