k.d. lang - Ingénue (1992) FLAC (tracks), lossless

On her early albums, k.d. lang was a country traditionalist with a difference -- while she had a glorious voice and could evoke the risen ghost of Patsy Cline when she was of a mind, there was an intelligence and sly humor in her work that occasionally betrayed her history as a performance artist who entered the musical mainstream through the side door. And while the three years between Absolute Torch and Twang and Ingénue were full of controversy for lang that may have encouraged her to seek out new creative directions (among other things, she came out as a lesbian and her outspoken animal rights activism alienated many fans in the C&W mainstream), the former album suggested lang had already taken her interest in country music as far as it was likely to go. Ingénue presented lang as an adult contemporary artist for the first time, and if she felt any trepidation at all about her stylistic shift, you'd never guess after listening to the record; lang's vocal style is noticeably more subtle on Ingénue than her previous albums, but her command of her instrument is still complete, and the cooler surroundings allowed her to emotionally accomplish more with less. lang's songwriting moved into a more impressionistic direction with Ingénue, and while the literal meanings of many of her tunes became less clear, she also brought a more personal stamp to her music, and the emotional core of "Save Me," "Constant Craving," and "So It Shall Be" was obvious even when their surfaces were evasive. And the production and arrangements by lang and her longtime collaborators Ben Mink and Greg Penny were at once simple and ambitious, creating a musical space that was different in form and effect than her previous albums but one where she sounded right at home. Ingénue disappoints slightly because while lang was a masterful and thoroughly enjoyable country singer, she was a far more introspective adult contemporary singer/songwriter who seemingly demanded the audience accept her "as is" or not at all. However, the craft of the album is impressive indeed, and few artists have reinvented themselves with as much poise and panache as lang did on Ingénue. by Mark Deming  
Tracklist :
1    Save Me 4:33
Acoustic Bass – David Piltch
Lap Steel Guitar – Greg Leisz
Tambura [Tamboura] – k.d. lang
2    The Mind Of Love 3:48
Steel Guitar – Greg Leisz
3    Miss Chatelaine 3:48
Strings [Guest Pizzicato] – Martin Laba
4    Wash Me Clean 3:17
Acoustic Guitar – k.d. lang
Acoustic Guitar [Solo] – Ben Mink
Electric Guitar – Ben Mink
Marimba – Gary Burton
Pedal Steel Guitar – Greg Leisz
5    So Shall It Be 4:29
Drum Machine [Beat Box] – Greg Penny
Guitar – k.d. lang
6    Still Thrives This Love 3:33
Acoustic Bass – David Piltch
Acoustic Guitar – Ben Mink
Cello – John Friesen
Clarinet – Myron Schultz
Mandolin – k.d. lang
Marimba – Gary Burton
Percussion – Sal Ferreras
Santoor [Santur] – Teddy Borowiecki
Strings [Guest Pizzicato] – Ingrid Friesen
7    Season Of Hollow Soul 4:56
Cello – John Friesen
Clarinet – Myron Schultz
Timpani – Graham Boyle
Vocals [Additional] – Rosel Zech
8    Outside Myself 4:57
Electric Bass [Fretless] – David Piltch
Keyboards – Teddy Borowiecki
Steel Guitar – Greg Leisz
Tambourine – Graham Boyle
9    Tears Of Love's Recall 3:48
Acoustic Guitar – Ben Mink
Cello – John Friesen
10    Constant Craving 4:38
Vocals [Additional] – Sue Leonard