Watershed

25 years since the beginning of K.D. Lang's successful career

Canadian singer K.D. Lang can boast several Grammy Awards and an excellent recognizable voice, and also her capacity to perform duets with other artists and sing cover versions of songs that have become classic. Thus her latest record, 2004's Hymns Of The 49th Parallel consisted of her interpretations of the renowned Canadian singers and songwriters including Bruce Cockburn, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, Jan Siberry and Neil Young. Whereas Lang has not released her own material since 2000 when the successful album Invincible Summer was recorded. Yet this year the singer has finally decided to please the audience with brand new songs. Record Watershed marks 25 years since the beginning of K.D. Lang's successful career and takes us back to the times when she sang rock and country music and presented the world her hit Constant Craving. The singer's unique brand style is in its best form on Watershed making the record one of the year's best rock works.

Soft, calm and leisurely songs on Watershed

The greatest part of Watershed consists of soft, calm and leisurely songs based on brilliant multilayered arrangements, and a great number of nuances and halftones. The album opens with a slow nostalgic composition I Dream Of Spring rather sullen and sad, and a bit lighter song named in French Je Fais La Planche pleases with soft sounds of bells making the song a bit mysterious. A reflective track Coming Home has more country elements due to the fiddles and singing guitars, and by the end becomes almost an anthem. One of the most beautiful songs Once In A While amazes with its psychedelic arrangement and a complicated tune difficult to imitate, whereas Close Your Eyes is a luxurious lullaby with an indescribable instrumental background able to calm down the most excited. Drums make the song Flame Of The Uninspired livelier, and the soft beat on Upstream permits the singer's voice sound along with it creating beautiful harmonies with the instruments. One of the most complicated and at the same time romantic tracks on the record is Shadow And The Frame, and the final song Jealous Dog is a the shortest and strangest track here depicting vague images.

A perfect background for calm reflections, rest and relaxation

K.D. Lang's rich and powerful voice long ago conquered the hearts of the fans around the globe and today never ceases to surprise with its depth. Watershed is her tenth album and the first to be produced by K. D. herself. The eleven songs opening the singer's personal feelings and thoughts amaze in the first place with the carelessly slow tempo. Having a rich life experience behind her shoulders Lang is as if telling us that there is no point in rushing, getting tense and worrying. Her music is a perfect background for calm reflections, rest and relaxation. If at certain moments of the album the singer uses some country fragments they only add the notes of joy and serenity but never come out the frames of the restrained melancholy. Today we have quite a wide choice of danceable or heavy rock music at our disposal and it is a great pleasure when the records like Watershed are released. They always remind us that it is time to have rest and devote some time to ourselves, forgetting about the daily routines and simply enjoy the beautiful songs that K.D. Lang has provided us with in excess.