Hymns of the 49th Parallel

I bought this after reading a couple of the reviews on Amazon. I had never heard it. I am glad I did! Superb! Beautiful! I didn't think she could carry off the Joni Mitchell number, and it did take a bit of getting used to, but that is my only teeny criticism of this album. Her voice carries you to somewhere else. Poignant, it will tear you apart in places. This is my first K.D Lang album, though I have long admired her. Thank you to the reviewers who recommended this stunning album. BUY IT! Don't miss these vocals that will wrench your heart out! Bliss.

Whatever other music is still to come out the rest of 2004, "Hymns of the 49th Parallel," must be considered one of the most remarkable albums of any genre, that will be released this year.
These are the reasons for such ambitious statement, first it's the welcomed return to recording from one of the most utterly gifted, versatile and intelligent voices in popular music; secondly, the choice of material is nothing less than sublime -each of these composers could have offer an entire album of nothing but stunning songs of their own. Finally and perhaps most importantly, the foresight in these choices showed that Lang knows what is meaningful and poetic as well as she understands what she has the right chops to pay tribute to, in such way that the songs can only grow in depth and beauty.
As you must know by now, this is a Canadian songbook, each song -except for for the self-penned "Simple" which is quite great in its own right- from people who have influenced her and so many of us deeply.
Now, there's another, perhaps less obvious, theme in these songs. They represent some of the most moving and beautifully crafted songs about love in all its tones and moods and longings, ever written.
It's about the ecstasy for the beloved in "A Case of You" ("Oh, you are in my blood like holy wine / You taste so bitter and so sweet / Oh, I could drink a case of you, darling"), to "Hallelujah"'s wise recognnition of the deep pain that love might cause us ("It's not a cry you hear at night / It's not somebody who's seen the light / It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah").
It's also about the longing to belong ("One day I walk in flowers / One I walk on stones / Today I walk in hours / One day I shall be home") that Cockburn's "One Day I Walk" speaks about and the utter surrendering in "Fallen" (You opened your arms like a school door to summer days / And opened my heart to the rumours of a higher place / Now, where was I, baby, I've fallen for you").
Each song here conjures up a singular image of all that, if we've been lucky, we have felt when we loved. Love that inspired us, or bruised us, or kept us wanting more.
Songs written by women and men with an incredible gift for saying that we know but could not say ourselves when love happened. All coming together gorgeously through the subtle touch of Ben Mink's production, the wide-range palette of Eumir Deodato's string arrangements and, first and fundamentally, thanks to k.d. lang's beautiful, understated, and sublime voice.
This is by far her most inspired and mature singing in years. Noting the obvious musical differences inherent to the material chosen, these are probably her most beautiful renditions since "Shadowland" or "Absolute Torch and Twang"
"So -as Jane Siberry writes in "Love if Everything"-- tale a lesson from the strangeness you feel / And know you'll never be the same / And find it in your heart to kneel down and say / I gave my love didn't I?"
k.d. lang certainly did.

K D lang is probably the best white female popular singer around. Sure she no longer hits the charts like she did in the 80's but that is no indication of a drop in standards in fact its the opposite. She has a beautiful voice and although she is interpretating other singer/songwriters songs I can't think of anyone I would rather hear sing them. My personal opinion is that her version of 'hallelujah' is better that the original the orchestration works and it now has just the right amount of contemporary feel. 'A case of you' has some of the most gorgeous lyrics she sings 'I could drink a case of you' and you really believe her it makes you shiver (in a good way).
Wow she great. enjoy!!!!!