Hymns of the 49th Parallel [B&N Exclusive] in Bloomington, MN

In 1988,
Stompin' Tom Connors
, the most fiercely patriotic Canadian musician to ever take the stage in the land of the Maple Leaf, wrote a song in tribute to fellow Canadian
k.d. lang
for continuing to hang her hat in Alberta after enjoying a commercial breakthrough in the United States. It's hard to say what
Stompin' Tom
thinks about
lang
these days, now that she's an out-of-the-closet lesbian, an animal rights activist, and (gulp) spending most of her time in America, but it's a good bet he approves of
Hymns of the 49th Parallel
, in which
turns her attention exclusively to the work of Canadian tunesmiths. Anchored by classic songs from
Neil Young
,
Joni Mitchell
, and
Leonard Cohen
(all of whom rate two songs each),
is not so much a flag-waving celebration of Canada as an appreciation of the often spare and evocative style of its best-known lyricists (or at least that's the case with the material on board), and
and frequent collaborator
Ben Mink
have matched the selections with production and arrangements that are simple and to the point, with only a piano/bass/drums trio for accompaniment (though a string section pops in every once in a while). With her phrasing subdued and her projection scaled back from the big-as-all-outdoors sound of her early days,
seems to have kept her own instrument in check as well, though her best moments still inspire a very real awe. Though
has chosen some superb songs (and written a fine one herself in the album's only original,
"Simple"
) and performed them with obvious love and affection,
seems oddly lacking in passion; perhaps in deference to the frozen North, this album has a cool and frosty undertow that seems designed to hold the listener at arm's length, despite the inarguable beauty of its craft. Perhaps for the follow-up, she should bring in
for a duet on
"The Hockey Song"
to liven things up. ~ Mark Deming