k.d. lang hasn't treated her fans to new original material in eight years, but that'll change on Feb. 5th, when she releases "Watershed" (Nonesuch). The 11-song set was written and recorded over several years and is the first set of material to be produced by lang herself.
"I fell naturally into the production role, in the initial performances that went on tape ... I felt that's where the real creative essence lay, and I wanted to preserve those and bring those forward into a beautiful sounding record," lang tells Billboard.com.
"I think what was liberating is that it's really hard to translate your vision in audio to other people," she continues. "It gets interpreted in so many different ways. In some ways it can be enhancing, but [on 'Watershed'] there is sort of a convergence of all the different styles I have tackled and listened to. There's essence of country, there's essences of pop, there's essences of Brazillian."
lang describes the process as being very "mobile," from recording in her dining room, painting studio and also on the go, utilizing her laptop and Pro Tools. lang also cites her recent work with Tony Bennett and covering Canadian songwriters as helpful in creating "Watershed."
"The Tony record was rehearsed in his living room, overlooking Central Park. And it was actually recorded live off a stage, in a theatre," she recalls. "It was very much play the song and record it. But it made me very focused on the performance and not any overdubbing."
lang will be on tour for most of the spring, with dates covering most of the United States and Australia confirmed so far.
Here is the track list for "Watershed":
"I Dream of Spring"
"Coming Home"
"Once in a While"
"Thread"
"Close Your Eyes"
"Sunday"
"Flame of the Uninspired"
"Upstream"
"Shadow and the Frame"
"Jealous Dog"
"I fell naturally into the production role, in the initial performances that went on tape ... I felt that's where the real creative essence lay, and I wanted to preserve those and bring those forward into a beautiful sounding record," lang tells Billboard.com.
"I think what was liberating is that it's really hard to translate your vision in audio to other people," she continues. "It gets interpreted in so many different ways. In some ways it can be enhancing, but [on 'Watershed'] there is sort of a convergence of all the different styles I have tackled and listened to. There's essence of country, there's essences of pop, there's essences of Brazillian."
lang describes the process as being very "mobile," from recording in her dining room, painting studio and also on the go, utilizing her laptop and Pro Tools. lang also cites her recent work with Tony Bennett and covering Canadian songwriters as helpful in creating "Watershed."
"The Tony record was rehearsed in his living room, overlooking Central Park. And it was actually recorded live off a stage, in a theatre," she recalls. "It was very much play the song and record it. But it made me very focused on the performance and not any overdubbing."
lang will be on tour for most of the spring, with dates covering most of the United States and Australia confirmed so far.
Here is the track list for "Watershed":
"I Dream of Spring"
"Coming Home"
"Once in a While"
"Thread"
"Close Your Eyes"
"Sunday"
"Flame of the Uninspired"
"Upstream"
"Shadow and the Frame"
"Jealous Dog"
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