The CBC recently assembled a panel of its producers and hosts to compose a list of its country’s 25 greatest singers ever, selecting k.d. lang for the top spot. “Apologies to Jeff Buckley, but lang’s cover of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ is now the definitive version and everyone needs to stay away from singing it forever and ever. It will never get better than this," says the CBC. "lang sings from the gut and the heart, and it’s perfection." On April 21, lang will be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame during the 42nd Annual Juno Awards; she also will perform that evening.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) recently assembled a panel of its producers and hosts to compose a list of its country’s 25 greatest singers ever, selecting k.d. lang for the top spot.
The CBC explains its choice: “Apologies to Jeff Buckley, but lang’s cover of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ is now the definitive version and everyone needs to stay away from singing it forever and ever. It will never get better than this. Don’t even try.
“But we’re grateful lang took it on, if only to cement her position as Canada’s best singer and remind everyone of just how good she is. The decadence of her voice is carefully balanced with her straightforward delivery. She’s not precious, she doesn’t indulge in diva-like vocal tricks — lang sings from the gut and the heart, and it’s perfection.”
To see the full list from the CBC, visit music.cbc.ca.
lang’s most recent album, 2011’s Sing it Loud, received critical acclaim, with USA Today saying it “nods to lang’s alt-country roots while reinforcing her reputation as a singer of genre-defying dexterity and beauty.” The Toronto Sun said the album “marries rich countripolitan sophistication to earthy Memphis soul to create lang’s warmest and most welcoming work in many a year. In 2010, she marked the 25th anniversary of her recording debut with Recollection, a career retrospective.
On April 21 of this year, k.d. lang will officially be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame during the 42nd Annual Juno Awards broadcast on CTV from the Brandt Centre in Regina, SK. She also will perform that evening. lang also has won four Grammy awards, eight Juno Awards, a BRIT, an AMA, a VMA, and four awards from GLAAD. In 1996, she received Canada’s highest civilian honor, the Order of Canada. She has appeared alongside such musical luminaries as Roy Orbison, Bonnie Raitt, Elton John, Loretta Lynn, and Tony Bennett. “She’s the best singer of her generation,” observed Bennett, who has frequently toured with lang since their 2002 Wonderful World duets album.
lang has also contributed to numerous soundtracks, including Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, and Happy Feet, and has appeared in such films as Salmonberries, The Black Dahlia, and Eye of the Beholder.
- Log in to post comments
