"Delightful, and close to flawless." That's how the Sydney Morning Herald's Kelsey Munro describes k.d. lang's performance this past Wednesday at Sydney's State Theatre. The Australian's Lynden Barber concurs, writing: "In concert, k.d. lang comes so close to perfection that it's hard not to dissolve into gushing cliches." Once k.d. starts to sing, says Barber, "the effect is startling, no matter how prepared you think you are."

This week, as k.d.'s new album, Watershed, reached No. 1 in Australia, she and her band have been touring the country. The Australian calls the songs on the new album "gorgeously lush" and saw "a delirious climax" of Wednesday's show come when k.d. sang two songs off of her Nonesuch debut, Hymns of the 49th Parallel. "Lang's tribute to fellow Canadian Jane Siberry," writes Barber, "appeared impossible to top until she took hold of Leonard Cohen's hymn-like 'Hallelujah' ..."

The Sydney Morning Herald has kinds words for k.d.'s band, whom Munro calls "a revelation, a perfect combination of restraint and tenderness, able to deliver choir-boy harmonies on call," and has highest praise for her voice:

It has the clarity of a bell, a purity of tone that has to be heard to be believed. But her singing is not showy, not in the overwrought vocal gymnastics sense that lesser singers favour. Her vocal control---both pitch and volume---is flawless and looks effortless, her phrasing is always inventive. There is a Patsy Cline-like languid glide to it that carries a hint of [lang's] country beginnings, but there is also much of the classic crooner.

To read the complete review, visit smh.com.au; for the review in The Australian, visit theaustralian.news.com.au.

k.d. and the band play one more night at the State Theatre tonight before heading west to play Perth on Saturday, then down to Melbourne for three nights at Hamer Hall. For more tour information, click here.