Chet’s Chatter

Hobbit Feet

Posted on 23 March 2005 @ 14:07 in k.d. lang

That’s what someone at the langisms board says she has.

But then at 5′ 9″, that’s about right, isn’t it?

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Of Sirens and Divas

Posted on 6 March 2005 @ 21:08 in Janis Ian, k.d. lang

ES, a fellow music lover I met at the Janis Ian concert, asked me if Janis and kdlang are divas. Like me, he’d been to kd’s concert three weekends before, but unlike me, a kdfan of (counting fingers) 16 years, he’s a self-confessed “kd virgin”, having been converted only at that concert.

Before I could say anything, he answered his own question and said they are sirens, not divas.

His observation came to mind this afternoon. I was at my sister’s and was channel hopping when I came upon the tail-end of VH1 Diva Duets on the MTV channel. Believe me when I say not everyone featured in that programme are divas. The ones who are were Cyndi Lauper, Debbie Harry and Pattie Labelle. Maybe even Sheila E. But … but … dang, I can’t even remember the names of those I don’t think are divas. And Tom Jones? Where does he fit in?

Anyway, according to ES, Janis and kd are not divas, but sirens. Definition time, courtesy of www.dictionary.com …

Conclusion? Definitely not divas. Not sirens either. But definitely both of them are in a class of their own - a class where voice reigns and neither depends on anything else to entrance their audiences.

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Early kdlang album

Posted on 16 February 2005 @ 23:37 in Music, k.d. lang

I haven’t heard Angel with a Lariat for quite a few years now, so I played it during my drive to work yesterday morning.

Produced in 1987, Angel with a Lariat is the album kd released before she hit the big time, getting the attention of Owen Bradley, the late Patsy Cline’s producer, and recording her Shadowland album with him, and getting support from old-timers such as Loretta Lynn, Brenda Lee and Kitty Wells.

It’s a high energy album, lots of fiddles, driving drums, and most of all, enthusiasm from kd and her band. I burst out with laughter a couple of times, completely carried away by the joy that was pouring out of the speakers of my car stereo. This is a great example of what kd was about before she crossed over to Nashville and went on to become “mainstream”.

I googled for some of the songs’ lyrics, and here are some examples:

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That’s the word

Posted on 7 February 2005 @ 15:20 in k.d. lang

The review in the Singapore Straits Times of her concert described her as “a little portlier than before …”.

Yes, that’s the word to describe her now. The closest I could come up with was “almost two-and-a-half-times her size from almost 20 years ago”, which is a mouthful. Which goes to show, when you put your mind to it, and in the hands of a skilled wordsmith, one word will do. Guess I’m not (skilled wordsmith).

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A Promise

Posted on 7 February 2005 @ 02:05 in k.d. lang

She said she regretted not discovering Singapore earlier. Does this mean she will be adding Singapore as a venue for her future concerts? If she is, I’ll be there. For every one of her concerts in Singapore from now on.

I thought she was past her prime. She proved me wrong that evening. The voice still rules. She’s mellowed, gone past the wild 90s. All there is now is the voice. That’s all that matters. The voice. She could sing “Ba Ba Black Sheep” and it would still sound good. Biased? Probably. But I’m sure all the kdfans in the world agree with me.

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