Ingenue

I had this on tape in 1992. I bought it because "Constant Craving" was such a captivatingly cool song that I wanted more... and was sorely disappointed by the album. I can say that generally, the laidback chic of Ingenue is no place for a 17-year-old. But even now, I don't feel like I'm really in the hipster wine mom demographic that would get the most out of this. But just imagine having a relaxing evening in your renovated villa, pulling up a kitchen stool, pouring a glass of pinot gris and enjoying the heck out of this classy album. Still, "Constant Craving" is a tune.

I love this album. It was among the first batch of cds I ever bought (thank you Columbia House!) and have probably played it over 1000 times and I look forward to hearing it at least 1000 more. k.d. lang has an incredible vocal instrument. First arriving on the scene as a "new" Patsy Cline, she rose to prominence in country circles (despite hailing from Canada). With this album, she (mostly) left her torch and twang behind to prove herself a force in the adult contemporary market. And with the hit "Constant Craving", she did just that and found, in this listener, a lifelong fan. Vocally, her tone is so pure. She bends notes to her will, coaxing emotion out of words and phrases with seeming ease. When she sings of pain, it is palpable. When she sings of joy, it is infectious. When she sings of longing, it is intense. This particular collection of songs shows a range that some of her other albums don't. (I own them all, but this is the one I come back to most.) From the bouncy, coquettish Ms. Chatelaine (a cheeky flip-side to her normally butch persona) to the spare, haunting Tears of Love's Recall, she runs the gamut of a true chanteuse's repertoire. k.d. lang is a true musical artist. 5 stars for me; no hesitation.

I should start by saying that this kind of low key adult contemporary music with the occasional country twang is absolutely not my thing. Not that I hate it. It just would never occur to me to listen to it. But I'll do my best. The first thing to note is that k.d. lang is an excellent singer. She has a warm timbre, tremendous vocal control, perfect pitch, and uses vibrato effectively (faithful readers will know this is one of my bugbears). The second thing is that the arrangements by lang, Ben Mink and Greg Penny are extraordinarily detailed, subtle, and sonically pleasant. That leaves the songs themselves. Perhaps Ingenue is the sort of album that requires several listens for the songs to sink in. While pleasant enough to listen to, nothing much seems to stick in my reptilian brain. That is evidently not what lang was going for, but still, if you're going to do what is essentially an album of pop songs, shouldn't there be some monster hooks, either instrumental, melodic or both? Maybe it's not fair, but that's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

A go big or go home effort that's swelling - nay, engorged - with wistful orchestration. Occasionally the melodies are strong enough to carry that weight. The Mind of Love sounds timeless before its 3:48 are up, swooning like a Joan Fontaine character, Miss Chatelaine goes full throwback with its accordion, and the muscular Spanish-guitar-I-think on Still Thrives This Love (silly title) brilliantly complements Lang's voice, which always holds up. But too often the writing, melodies or both don't, and collapse under the weight of their decoration. A shame, because there's so much promise here.

I once got into Prince to seduce a girl (who grew up to be a lesbian) and it was pointed out to me that maybe K D Lang would have been a better choice. Having listened to this album for a second time (once in the 90’s and once just now), I can conclude that, even if I’d been successful in my seduction, I would have felt utterly filthy in using such a piece of schmaltzy tatt for my own personal gain. I feel much happier as a lonely Prince fan than I would a K D Lang aficionado with a harem of loose moraled females.

I never really listened to kd Lang and wow I thought this was great. Beautiful voice. Stylistically felt ahead of its time. I’ll have to see how my rating holds up with time but today this did it for me

this is exciting to me because this is the year I graduated from high school, she looked so different and cool and I knew her from country music <> this second song reminds me of Anne Murray (if you don't know her, "Could I have this dance" was a fave in middle school); i just LOVE crooners and especially as an adult hearing her sing love songs to a woman is so inspiring - she was doing that in the 80s and 90s when that just wasn't done but she made it seem so commonplace - BRAVO, KD!; I also liked her name a lot because it sounds like Katy but is just initials :) <> Miss Chatelaine has a resort music style that reminds me of Barry Manilow's Copacabana which I like <> Outside Myself sounds like it should have been in a James Bond movie <> I also really like the music that Spotify chose based on this album :)

Damn, what a voice. And k.d. lang knows how to use it to beautiful effect. She's got an impressive range, but doesn't spend any unnecessary time finding reasons to impress with vocal acrobatics. She hits notes with authority, with a shimmer of grief even, when it's the right emotional pitch for the moment, and she sings sweetly and quietly when it's right. She sticks to her sweet spot most of the time, and there's a lot of it. She's a singular singing talent, to be sure. The production is just as spot-on as her performances. Great harmonies, expert instrumentation — not a sour note on the entire album. The only reason this isn't an easy 5-star is that the songs do blend together. There's not much of a change of gear from start to end. That's intentional, certainly, but that's the one key that holds me back from a "perfect" score. It's an 8.5-9 on a 10-point scale in my book. One weird point, how did "Constant Craving" get chosen to close the album? Seems like it should have been placed way earlier in the mix. Easy to say after the fact, but it's so clearly the most accessible track on the record.

I'm new to lang's discography, but as far as I can tell the arc within this album is a recursive version of the album's place in it. We move away from country instrumentation, while the sound palette and the voice remain lush. I can't help but think it would be a better album if it was more explicitly country. At the same time, the first couple tracks are where I felt most strongly that I was listening to standard adult contemporary. Perhaps that's still true, but only mostly.

Grand. Same song over and over. Good song though.

I remember listening to some k.d. lang songs back in the 90s; liked her then, like her now, although it's been a long time since I've listened to her music. What a voice, and a really good writer, but it can get a little too -- not sure what the phrase is, maybe "Big Band ballad style" -- for me. 'Constant Craving' is great.

p688. 1992. 3 stars Middle of the road songs offset by terrific voice and production. There simply aren't enough standout songs - after a while they tend to just blur in to each other. Not sure it is essential listening.

This album made very pleasant background listening as I was making dinner last night. It never insisted too too much on being more than background music, but there was enough to twist my ear that I figured - sure, maybe I could see what it’s going for.

Tego mi wlasnie bylo trzeba po bestiowych bojsach, album calkowicie nieznany, z krainy losi i syropu klonowego, artysty o dosc ciekawym pseudonimie artystycznym, ale najwazniejsze zmiania tonu w porownaniu do poprzedniej pozycji, bo k.d. lang to wokalistka ktora tworzy muzyke popularna o tak zwanym ambitniejszym brzmieniu, z okladki bym nawet nie powiedzial, ze jest to wokalistka, bo postac na niej wyglada dosc hermafrodytycznie, pajecze zmysly sie sprawdzialy i wikipedia potwierdzila przypuszczenia, ze dykowym to bedzie album, po uslyszeniu wokalnych umiejetnosci pani Kathryn uderzylo mnie to zderzenie przeciwienstw, jesli chodzi o wyglad, a barwe glosu, a dlaczego az tak bardzo bo dodatkowo teksty sa pisane bardzo chlopsko, wiec polaczyla tutaj wszystko co najlepsze z dwoch swiatow, jesli teksty rzeczywiscie byly jej autorstwa, lecz prawdopodobnie byly, bo kawalki zawieraja multum autobiograficznych watkow, opowiadanych na 10 trakach, dajacych 40 minut mateiralu, spotifajowa wersja albumu, to deluxor na 25 lecie gdzie pojawia sie takze wersja plyty z mtv unplugowanego, ale niestety lokalizacja obecna nie zezwala na jego odtworzenie, jak juz wspominalem o tym ze pani glownie wokaluje, to niespodziewalem sie niczego wiecej, a wikipediowy pejdz bombarduje instrumentalami ktorymi tutaj podobno czaruje, bo mamy tu electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin, tamboura, tambourine, percussion, Tma, wiec lista dluga i szeroka, na uwage zasluguje takze osoba odpowiedzialna za produkcje tego albumu, bo jest to solidny mix do ktorego ciezko sie przyczepic jesli chodzi o aspekty techniczne, a takim produkcyjnym duchem jest tutaj ben mink, brzmi chinsko, ale jednak kanadyjczyk, ktory takze sporo instrumentalnego wkladu w plyte mial, nawet beatboxowe sekcje robil, wiec czlowiek renesansu, dodatkowych 10 muzykow studyjnych nawet nie bede wymienial, bo album jest naprawde bogaty w brzmienie, ale jednak nie jest ono przytlaczajace i nie zacmiewa historii opowiadanej wokalnie, na plejaka leca traki 3, 4, 7, 10, dziwne nanowe viby daje ta plyta, ale tak mam chyba zawsze z mocnymi piosenkarkami, ale taki outside myself to cos co mogloby byc themem nanowym jak nic innego, zacna plyta i dobry blind pick

A lot of the songs on this album sound familiar even though I’m sure that I’ve never heard them before. They’re just really good songs and I get good vibes from them. I love the instrumentation especially the clarinet on Still Thrives This Love. The accordion is also interesting and I like it. Honestly almost everything about this album is great. Not quite great enough to be a 10 because it’s not that mind blowing but it’s still a really solid album. Season of Hollow Soul reminds me of ABBA for some reason but overall this album does sound like it’s from the 90s but aged will. Favorite songs: Save Me, The Mind of Love, Miss Chatelaine, Wash Me Clean, Still Thrives This Love, Season of Hollow Soul, Outside Myself, Constant Craving Decent 9/10

hmm. am i going to like this? nice voice. i thiiiink its a woman. yeah it is. this first song is nice but im afraid i might get bored quick. lets see. i love the vibe provided by whatever instrument it is playing at 2:32. her voice reminds me of someone but i cant place it. aw this sounds so nice but im bored :( why am i like this lol. okay i take that back i got into it after a bit and my mood now matches this album lol. miss chatelaine: this song is making me so happy i want to cry lol. wash me clean: her voice sounds so full (?) and comforting :( i teared up. lmao. "shadows now curtain the moon, but faith swears it will shine again soon." idk why i got so into this. typically i wouldnt like this type of music i think. im done and i feel so exposed lol. i feel like i just finished up a long crying session xd anyways uhm i only processed about 1% of this album and i need to listen to it 99 more times to get better acquainted with it. starting my first replay as i finish writing this. saying that i love this album is putting it lightly :)) <3

I enjoyed it.

A masterpiece. Just perfect.

Highlights are The Mind of Love, Miss Chatelaine, So It Shall Be, Constant Craving. I don't know why I never thought to look up more of her music. It's beautiful, and I love it.

Ingénue indeed!!! I loved this album in the 90s and still do. It’s filled with lush emotional torch songs, incredible vocals, interesting arrangements and ends with one of the greatest hits from my days as an announcer on adult contemporary radio. I am still having a love affair with this album!

Lush, beautiful, and (and I don't use this term lightly) romantic. Excellent songs and a gorgeous voice. A-plus!

What a delight! Swoon!

This was gorgeous and lush.

I really like this album a lot

THIS is the kd lang album that 100% belongs on the list. An album with iconic bookend songs and such beauty in between. kd's voice is so strong, healthy, and lovely. She is no ingénue here. This album reflects real work and dedication to her craft. Interesting that this album was recorded in Vancouver. Something about the cool, high-style of the songs is reminiscent of that shiny Vancouver vibe. Ending with Constant Craving is brilliant. I love every breath on this album.

Love love love

Lovely.

This is where k.d. lang found their voice and their style. A very accomplished album with beautiful tracks and emotional depth. This has definitely earned its place on this list. It was an album. I loved back in 1992 and I still love it today. I think it ends with exactly the right track because it just leaves you wanting to play it more and more.

4.5 stars

God I love her voice Listening to this reminds me of listening to Jeff Buckley’s Grace for the first time. There isn’t much higher praise I can give an album

10/10 god damn! the earlier stuff I’ve heard of k.d. lang I didn’t really like, but this is something special southern country really isn’t my thing, but this feels like something so much better I don’t know how to explain it it’s just such a beautiful album

Suprème

Great songwriting, has a classic feel with some twangy guitar melodies

This genre reminds me of my mom, but she has a very lovely voice and sound

The album was pretty good. There were a few songs I didn't like but it was mostly good. It was good background music. My favourite songs were Save Me and Constant Craving. 4/5 stars.

Liked this album

A brilliant album. Has the feel of a classic American song book. Wistful, melodic, romantic. And what a voice.

Kinda a cool sound haha. Her lyrics are super over the top but a decent listen.

Outstanding production and mix. Lots of effort into every song. May not be a daily listen but a delicatessen to have in specific moments.

listening to this album, it grew on me.

Fantastic voice. Superb production. Way more to offer than just Constant Craving. So ... what exactly does it say about me if I really liked this album?

Gotta be in the right mood for this but I definitely was.

Beautiful

Dásamlega ljúf og góð plata. Elska röddina hennar.

Okay first track has me intrigued. Miss Chatelaine has a sort of easy riviara mood about it. Wash Me Clean has a nice hook.

Just love this. KD Lang has the most beautiful, expressive voice nd just glides through these gorgeous songs. Wonderful

Very pretty music. Beautiful voice without annoying affectations or histrionics. No country this time, which makes this all-round appealing. A lovely album.

Excellent, excellent! Really enjoyed this album! Don't know anything about k.d. lang but reading up I'm glad we got this album rather than an earlier one that leaned into the country genre

Tää on näitä levyjä, jotka toimii vaan kokonaisena. Monesti palaan tähän ja kelaan mitkä ne hyvät biisit oli enkä löydä yhtään. Mut kun jaksan kuunnella kokonaan, oon aina ihan myyty. Tosin näin duunin lomassa paikoin turhan rauhallinen / minimalistinen. Vinskalta iltamyöhään peukku.

Кантри, которое не звучит как кантри. Альбом смог увлечь и несколько песен я "лайкнул" с чистой совестью. 7/7- из 10.

It was hard to focus because the weather was aggressively awful while I was driving to work and listening to this, but it think I enjoyed this elevated lounge act a lot!

didnt really expect to like this as much as I did

Smooth listening- very enjoyable!

Traditionally not a fan of this type and style of album, but it’s hard not to like ‘Ingenue’. k.d. langs voice is undeniably awesome and beautiful, and she shines here with songs and arrangements that are uniformly excellent.

It’s easy to like an artist that saves the hit to the very end. “Constant Craving” is a great song, and the lead-up is languid, then charming, then stylish, then smooth – every track thoughtfully conceived (merging jazzy torch songs with country textures) and executed with verve and polish, the singing assured and accomplished, the playing distinctive and adroit. Well done, k.d.

Very nice! Chill. Think she's a good songwriter.

Smooth smooth stuff. Some killer songs on here

Nice album to listen to

Is it bad that I thought she was a boy before doing this?… The album starts with save me a slightly jazzy track but also with some tribal sounding drums. Her slow but fairly strong singing style really matches the music played so it’s good. The mind of love has completely different sound ( being acoustic guitar led) while having the same general feeling ( relaxed and loungey) it’s not a favourite song of all time but I still enjoy it and see the appeal that it has. Miss chatelaine is still majorly acoustic but faster paced it’s certainly a good song but one that’s hard to put my finger on. Wash me clean is the slowest track so far a kinda gloomy little thing verging on dull and drab but not quite that boring. At the start of so it shall be has a kinda artificial and repetitive beat to it but somehow still impresses with her vocals; later on the song gains other elements the violin especially is class. The on the edge strings at the start of still thrives this love are so thrilling and fresh for this singer but it goes into this tribal rainforest forest sounding song with the occasional strings still the albums best overall! Season for a hollow soul is also awesome it’s gloomy but by no means boring love the rhythm and the exploding chorus of this one. Outside myself keeps the same gloomy yet relaxed tone this time being primarily acoustic guitar based but with a killer piano solo in the middle. Not my favourite but still great. The penultimate track tears for loves recalling has amazing lyrics a brilliant piano track I personally think the layered on drums ruin it a little but at the start only coming into full power a good minute in especially when the strings come brilliant song. Also good lyrics. The album closes on the song constant craving a fairly fast paced but a somehow fitting little acoustic epic to close the project all off not the best not the worst. It’s good, not really my kinda thing, but still good great album all around.

A very lovely record

Generally solid and has a couple great songs. 7/10

7/10. Liked this a lot better than her other album, even considered an 8/10, but I think that's pushing it. Pleasant sad music.

Cowgirl crooning.

k.d. stands for “kinda dope”

This album fascinates me. How did k.d. lang go from a weird fringe country artist (from Consort, Alberta, no less!) with tacky-kitsch outfits and an ill-advised vegetarian political agenda, to putting out an album like this? It's impossible to categorize--the instrumentation covers every genre except possibly country! I love the dark moody songs the most: Wash Me Clean and Season of Hollow Soul are standouts. I saw her live a few years ago and she did a ton of songs off of this album. It was at the Jubilee and the sound was perfect and I think having heard them performed live with a full band made me enjoy this album more than I otherwise would have, as it's a bit too adult contemporary for my tastes. But these songs really are lovely. And I think k.d. lang has one of the most beautiful voices ever recorded, so honestly I'd probably listen to her sing anything.

Another gem from k.d. lang! I prefer the lush Patsy Cline arrangements of Shadowland, but I think the songwriting here is more interesting. And damn, what a voice she has. There are several moments on here when her backing vocals come in that gave me the chills. I feel like this one will grow on me with subsequent listens. Who knew I'd come out of this project a k.d. lang fan? Also, how did I miss her the first time around?

Didn’t listen to the whole thing but I like it. And yay! A woman!

Very good album.

yeah

Wow, I was really surprised by this album. This is not what I expected. Firstly because I liked it. It was wide ranging and a far cry from the genre in which I had stereotyped her.

What a shame that, at least where I'm from, k.d. lang didn't get the same amount of airplay that singers like Lisa Loeb, Jann Arden, or Jewel did. What we have here is high-caliber sad nineties girl material, but with the actual music being even better. k.d. lang is your classic singer-songwriter, but she takes her music to a more ethereal place - case in point, Season of Hollow Soul & Tears of Love's Recall. To me, the record sounds like a more subdued Kate Bush which I highly prefer. This might be the first album to make me want half-star ratings, because this is a solid 4.5.

Takes me back to childhood. Dad used to play this album often. Hearing it now after 15 years it’s like a comfy jersey

Pop, jazz

I always thought I hated sappy love songs, but this album has taught me that apparently it was just because I couldn't relate to them. This album is full of cheesy, sappy, sapphic love songs and my gay heart has never been so happy. Lang's absolutely gorgeous vocals certainly don't hurt either. Best tracks: So it Shall Be, Still Thrives This Love, Season of Hollow Soul, and Outside Myself.

I liked it, I'd listen to it again. Some of it had a musical vibe, some normal pop music. But all very pleasant.

Vrij rustige singer-songwriter muziek. Haar stem doet me denken aan een kruising tussen Christine McVie en Norah Jones, ook de jazzy invloeden die het duidelijk heeft. Met nog een ABBAesque nummer erbij is dit wellicht meer wat voor Roel. Maar ondanks dat het allemaal wat traag is, zit het muzikaal prima in elkaar. Het stoort nergens echt, het overdrijft niet, het is net niet aanstellerig. Bovendien zorgt haar wonderschone stem er wel voor dat ik het fijn vind om te luisteren. Ik ben positief ingesteld en geef het gewoon 4 sterretjes

Always thought “Constant Craving” was “Don’t go Crazy”

I never bothered to listen to K.D. Lang. But this record is actually pretty nice! She’s got a great voice and cool vocal melodies. Nice twang guitar style playing in parts. The instrumental breakdown in Constant Craving is very cool! Oh and the mix is perfect! All instruments mixed crystal clear and nothing muffled. Key tracks: Save Me, The Mind Of Love, Miss Chatelaine, Wash Me Clean, Constant Craving. 7,5 out of 10

4/5.

Agréablement surpris, j'avais peur que ce soit trop soft/country à mon goût mais overall c'est un très bon album relax. Constant Craving est une bonne chanson que je connaissais sans le savoir.

So I'd hit the last song on the album (Constant Craving) without recognizing a track, but so the time thinking "wow this is great" and wondering why K.D Lang just didn't quite have so many hits. But she doesn't need to. Nothing samey, nothing standout, all solid.

When country starts to cross over its usually straight to pop; lang goes on a more interesting direction here. Just solid lyrics and song craft on display, quite lovely. Maybe a little uniformly soft and low key: the emotional affect of it all is a bit flat.

Cooler than I expected

I got a Niel young vibe from some of the songs, I really liked The Mind of love. her music sounds really great for being in a car and just vibing. I could see some songs as being in the soundtrack for a movie. Its just nice to listen to.

Lovely little blend of a multitude of genres (folk, country, pop, jazz, etc). Feels like it's best enjoyed with tea on a rainy day. Great harmonies, too Favorite tracks: "Constant Craving", "Season of Hollow Soul"

It was just OK - oldschoolcool

2.7

It was good. She has a great voice. Not something I'd come back to many times, but certainly the music is enjoyable

It’s chill. Reminded me of Starbucks music, but not bad.

Best wel chill

Pas fan.

Chill country jamz, I actually kind of dig this.

really, not bad. I can tell why she has so many fans. It's just too slow and not electronic enough for me

She has an amazing voice, but the songs are a bit too easy listening-ish for me. 2.5 stars, rounding up to 3.

Semibängeri Helt ok pop/rock musaa. Sån här lägg på i bakgrunden på ett café musik.

Very calming

I enjoyed this quite a bit. Favorite track was Miss Chatelaine

Better than I expected. Quite nice.

Enjoyable. Knew the singles.

A genuine treat, listening to k.d. lang. One of Canada's finest singers, we get a nice array of country, singer/songwriter, and tremendous songwriting to back it up. I just find it to be a bit unengaging sometimes, like Lang doesn't want to do too much. Which is fine, but leaves me not yearning to relisten again. A real pity, if you ask me.