K.D. Lang

If K.D. Lang’s path to stardom has one unifying thread, it’s her willingness to take risks, whether by expanding the boundaries (momentarily, anyway) of what could be played on country radio, by coming out of the closet, or by taking a stylistic left turn with her smoothly engaging 1992 pop record, Ingénue. But since then, Lang’s distanced herself from her country roots, and the result has been oddly rudderless: Since 2000’s risk-averse Invincible Summer, she’s made an album of duets with Tony Bennett, an album of covers of songs by English-speaking Canadian songwriters, and has sung with Anne Murray on Murray’s duets record. But last year Lang teamed up with Guster’s Joe Pisapia, who heads backing band The Siss Boom Bang, to release Sing It Loud, a belated return of sorts to her country roots.

Updated 05/01/2012