Shadowland

K. D. Lang

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: April 26, 1988
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sire / London/Rhino
• ASIN: B000002LE9
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5,018 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording
Pulling out all the Nashville stops, k.d. lang's 1988 album is a meticulously crafted work, her bid for mainstream country acceptance, and an homage to her idol Patsy Cline. Surrounded by the brilliance of Owen Bradley's string-laced production and a host of legendary pickers (Buddy Emmons and Pete Wade) and singers (Kitty Wells, Brenda Lee, Loretta Lynn), lang's voice soars and moans like a dove. After the lush Chris Isaak-penned opener "Western Stars," lang follows with more-familiar country writers, from Roger Miller ("Lock, Stock and Teardrops") to Harlan Howard ("I'm Down to My Last Cigarette"). Both a commercial (the album went gold) and artistic success, Shadowland ranks as one of the best country records of the 1980s. --Roy Francis Kasten

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Shadowland" & "Drag" are my favorite k.d. lang albums, October 17, 2003

By	foundpoem - See all my reviews

I'm writing this because of how often we (I) hear music on the radio, like the band or artist, decide to buy an album, look them up, and discover there are 30 records. I flip through the reviews, mostly written by ardent fans, until I'm exhausted of the task. I buy one and maybe I don't like it; I buy another and maybe I don't like it either. Then I give up.

So... if you've heard a little k.d. lang, think you might like her and want to buy an album I'm writing to say that Shadowland and Drag are the two, of hers, that I like most. Not "Ingenue" which seems to be others' favorite (too boring) and not "Absolute Torch and Twang," in which, frankly I don't hear *absolute* torch nor twang the way I do in "Shadowland."

"Shadowland" has country music in its blood. Not bluegrass or Hank Williams country, and not recent-pop country. Lang has a style all her own. "Waltz Me Once Again Around The Dance Floor" makes me want to, and "Tears Don't Care Who Cries Them," beautifully sweeping, makes me want k.d. not to be the one crying.

This album has some faster (not extremely fast) songs--in a country, guitar, groove way--and it has slower, sweet, and smart songs of love and love lost. My husband commented to me that it sounds a bit 1940's to him; I'd go along with that.

I wouldn't hesitate to start with "Shadowland" as an introduction. I give 4 stars rather than 5 because, to me, 5 is perfection. 4 stars is the highest without eligibility for the Nobel Prize. Try out "Shadowland" if you're looking for some country-based music with a very female and surprisingly beautiful voice that is lush and interesting. k.d. lang has personality and her voice is truly quite lovely.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One top voice, April 12, 2004

By	Antonio M Vazquezpausa "amvp" (Miami, Fl United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Kd Lang is ,in my opinion,the best North American female voice of her time.But not all of her Cds are as satisfying as this one.This one shows the Nashville influenced side of Kathryn Dawn Lang as arranged by Owen Bradley who also produced Patsy Cline.In songs like BLACK COFFEE,the title track and I WISH I DIDN'T LOVE YOU SO she passionately and contemporarily delivers tunes written way before her time.She sings DON'T LEt THE STARS...a 50's hit with
unique vigor and belts out the CHris ISaak penned WESTERN STARS so appropriately as the disk opener.It was the first Kd Cd I ever bought and what an introduction it was!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Updated country sounds from a powerhouse voice, January 8, 2004

By	Bruce Hodges (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

You don't have to like country music to appreciate k.d. lang's extraordinary talent. Produced by country veteran Owen Bradley, this was arguably the recording that put her on the map, with Bradley's super-polished array of songs highlighting her crystal-clear instrument and winning her millions of new fans. Since this CD, she has ventured far and wide, but to many, this will be remembered as the project where it all began.

The title track sets the tone, tapping into country music's wells of melancholy, although Lang's demeanor, persona and voice can't really be put squarely in the country camp. Her influences are much broader, including contemporaries like Chris Isaak, whose suave "Western Stars" opens the disc. Throughout, lang mixes hardcore country -- check out the opening chorus in the lovely "I Wish I Didn't Love You So" -- with what might be characterized as "1940's lounge," and sounds glorious. She could be equally at home in a smoky night club or at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry.

By the time the stunning "Busy Being Blue" arrives, you may think you've never heard a voice like this. After a quiet introduction, the song builds until lang is completely engulfed in a rapturous, torchy wail. This is simply great singing, whatever genre. The final track, "Honky Tonk Angels," features Loretta Lynn and Kitty Wells, whose winsome, plaintive harmonies end the set on a sentimental high note.

The recorded sound is beautifully clear, fully capturing lang's huge cries as well as her quieter moments of lazy sensuality. From an artist who has done many fine recordings, this is one of her best, with influences new and old, and also one of the great recordings of the 1980's.