lang’s ‘Drag’ Could Become Addictive

k.d. lang has come up with more than just the title of the year for this collection of songs built around the theme of cigarettes. She has also given us what is likely to stand as one of 1997’s most ambitious and satisfying albums.

Despite the fun of her early cowgirl years on record, lang found her artistic calling in 1990 when she recorded Cole Porter’s “So in Love”--demonstrating a vocal freedom and liberation on the pop standard that was little short of astonishing. Following up on the discovery, however, lang was betrayed by her inability to consistently write songs that showcased her interpretive skills as well.

This time, she turns to other writers for “cigarette” songs--from various eras and genres--that she weaves together for a larger commentary on addictions in general, especially the romantic kind. Working with co-producer Craig Street and several Jimmie Haskell orchestrations, lang wisely treats each tune as a separate challenge rather than molding them into a single, homogenized style.

The pace is sometimes slow and demanding and a couple of the songs are marginal, but the heart of this album combines mainstream pop accessibility and torch-driven cabaret intimacy in ways that seem absolutely addicting themselves.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).