Before
her emergence as a lauded pop “Ingenue” in 1992, k.d.
lang was an androgynous country “Angel With A Lariat” exploring
the “Shadowland” of cowpunk and the “Absolute Torch
And Twang” of Patsy Cline-influenced balladry. “Reintarnation,” the
singer-songwriter’s latest release, is a 20-track retrospective
of those heady days.
Throughout the latter half of the ’80s the Canadian outsider lobbed
her musical stones at the Grand Ole Opry’s windows in a bid for the
country establishment’s attention. Although she eventually got it,
the old guard never really warmed to her. (One notable exception was the
queen of cornpone comedy, Minnie Pearl.)
Nashville nabobs simply couldn’t get past Lang’s quirky image — her
staunch vegetarianism, prairie skirts coordinated with cowboy boots cut
off at the ankles or flamboyant Porter Waggoner-inspired suits, her shock
of jet black hair worn spiked or styled into a near pompadour — to
hear that she was creating some of the most authentic country music of
the day.
For critics and hip roots music fans, it was a different story. They recognized
lang as one of the leading lights of the blossoming New Country scene that
included Dwight Yoakam, Lyle Lovett and the Maria McKee-fronted band Lone
Justice. lang’s value to country was made particularly clear — even
if it still wasn’t fully acknowledged by Music City — with
the release of 1989’s “Absolute Torch And Twang,” her
last and finest foray into the genre.
“‘Torch And Twang’ was, for me, the pinnacle and a gesture
to Patsy [Cline] and [her legendary producer] Owen [Bradley]. A thank-you
for a great ride,” lang tells music journalist David Wild in the
liner notes of “Reintarnation.” “That album was the very
last bit, taking up the bread and sopping up the gravy.”
lang’s right. In 1992 she came out as a lesbian in The Advocate and
released “Ingenue,” a stunning sophisticated pop set that included
the Grammy-winning single “Constant Craving.” Afterward her
music would only hint at her country beginnings.
Thanks to catalog label Rhino, the seminal tracks from lang’s illustrious
first decade can now be appreciated anew, fully remixed and remastered,
on “Reintarnation.” Fans who only know lang’s pop or
more recent crooner offerings will be delighted to meet the talented rebel
gal of the early years.
k.d. lang: Homo on the range
PHOTO CREDIT: Neal Preston |
Album aid
Indie music label Centaur is known for its line of bestselling dance music
compilations (including such series as “Global Groove,” “Pride” and “Fire
Island”) and its circuit party tie-in discs (The White Party, Cherry
and Blue Ball among them).
But there’s another side to the gay owned and operated label that
often goes overlooked — the fundraising albums it produces to address
LGBT causes like AIDS, homophobia, equal rights and breast cancer. Past
recipients of Centaur’s largesse include AmFAR, HRC, Lambda Legal
and The Mautner Project.
In stores now are two new philanthropic sets from the label. The first, “Gay
Games Chicago 2006,” is an official companion album to this summer’s
Gay Games VII that offers a high energy, continuous mix set by DJ Joe Bermudez.
Among the album’s 12 tracks are club hits by Deborah Cox, Deep Dish,
Johnny Vicious featuring Judy Albanese and Janice Robinson, whose featured
cut “Dreamer” topped charts in 25 countries.
“It is quite an honor to be selected to mix the official CD of the
Chicago Gay Games,” says Bermudez. “For the athlete preparing
to compete or the fan looking to enjoy the festivities, these songs will
provide some musical motivation while simply making you feel good.”
A second official CD for Gay Games VII is set for release prior to the
opening of the July 15-22 sports and cultural festival. Games organizers
expect more than 12,000 athletes from over 100 countries to compete in
30 events.
On the other end of the musical spectrum, Centaur has issued “WEDrock,” a
live recording of a one-night-only benefit concert that raises funds for
Freedom to Marry, a national same-sex marriage rights group. The album
boasts a star-studded line-up of LGBT and allied musicians and entertainers.
Staged April 28, 2004, in New York City’s Crobar nightclub by organizers
John Cameron Mitchell (star of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”)
and Josh Wood (a producer of Off-Broadway shows and rock concerts), WEDrock
was an evening of music, comedy and activism to raise awareness of proposed
federal and state amendments against gay marriage.
Artists featured on “WEDrock” are Mitchell performing “Hedwig” hit “Origin
Of Love” with Margaret Cho, who also delivers a riotous 12-minute
stand up set, Le Tigre, Sleater-Kinney, Ben Jelen, who covers Tracy Chapman’s “Talkin’ About
A Revolution,” the always acerbic Sandra Bernhard, Bob Mould, Moby
with Laura Dawn, Alan Cumming and Lou Reed, who delivers a spoken-word
version of his classic “Walk On The Wild Side.”
Self-proclaimed fag hag Cho sums up the spirit of WEDrock, declaring: “Until
we are all equal, none of us are equal. All we wish to do is love, and
that is all.”
info: audiophile@q-notes.com |
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