Short Memory4 Out Of 5 Stars
Almost every song on this double disc "Recollection" of k.d. lang's finest is a gem. I can't argue with any of them. Her voice is a treasure of emotional intensity and vulnerability, and her interpretive skills are with few rivals in modern music. So why not five stars?
Well, frankly, the collection is skimpy. There's easily another half hour's space available between the two discs, room enough for at least one song from "Angel With A Lariat" and "Live By Request" or a couple more songs from "All You Can Eat." Or a few more one-off singles, like her duet with Andy Bell on "No More Tears." At least they did us the favor of only repeating one song from the "Reintarnation" set ("Trail Of Broken Hearts"). Oh well.
However, the second CD of odds and ends totally justifies buying this set. It pulls a batch of songs out of soundtrack obscurity, like her original duet of "Cryin'" from the forgettable Jon Cryer movie "Hiding Out." Or her tear jerking rendition of "So In Love" from the historic "Red Hot and Blue" charity project. There's also a new song, the sweet "Beautifully Combined." And while I am not all that thrilled that two versions of "Hallelujah" are here, you have to admit, her version rivals the late Jeff Buckley's for goosebump inducement.
Overall, "Recollection" is far from a bad collection of k.d.'s work. It's just that there is so much more to hear that I kept waiting for more songs to come out of my stereo once the discs were inserted.
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