Editorial Reviews:
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Watershed, K.D. Lang’s second Nonesuch album, indeed represents a significant juncture in her 25-year career as a recording artist-a collection of eleven new original songs produced, for the first time, by Lang herself. As with any challenge she’s met in her unparalleled career, lang is a natural behind the boards in the studio. Watershed has an intimate feel and a sophisticated sound that highlights the warmth in Lang’s voice, the maturity of her songwriting and the simple beauty of her arrangements. The Grammy Award-winning artist draws on her wealth of experience with an impressively wide range of genres to fashion a revealing portrait of the artist as she is right now. As Lang explains, "Watershed is like a culmination of everything I’ve done — there’s a little bit of jazz, a little country, a little of the Ingénue sound, a little Brazilian touch. It really feels like the way I hear music, this mash-up of genres, and I think it reflects all the styles that have preceded this in my catalogue." K.D. Lang Photos  |  |  | More from K.D. Lang 
Watershed Deluxe Limited Edition | 
Hymns of the 49th Parallel | 
Ingénue | 
Shadowland | 
Live by Request (2001) | 
Absolute Torch and Twang | 
Drag | 
All You Can Eat | 
Reintarnation [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] | 
Live by Request [LIVE] | 
Invincible Summer | 
A Truly Western Experience [EXTRA TRACKS] |
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: still great!
Comment: fans of kd lang know by now what they are getting when she puts out a new cd. This is no exception: great songs, great production, sweet harmonies, and that awesome voice.
Buy this!!
Customer Rating: 
Summary: k.d. Lang
Comment: She has a wonderful voice but I do not like her songs. They seem outdated to me.
Customer Rating:
Summary: KD Lang's illumination shines
Comment: I have been a long time follower and collector of KD's music,
Watershed is the album I find reaching for more than most
cds in my collection. I remember seeing KD sing live in San Diego
at an old ornate acoustical opera house. The range and quality of this soothing voice live
was even more smooth, sharp and resonate then on the album recordings.
Watershed's content is mature, one of zenness, of a higher purpose, but still youthful with feminine
and haunting layerings of magnetic sounds.There is a great use of instruments like the violin throughout.
For the individuals who gave this masterpiece five stars, they get this cattle dog artist.
Lastly, I was in San Francisco visiting on asignment as a photographer and the taxi
driver who picked me up said KD was remarkable and kind and down to earth because
he drove KD around the previous day. This seeps through in watershed. I sure wish that our paths would cross some other day. Maybe I'll just have to see KD again in concert!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Another wonderful offering
Comment: Not much that this woman does is mediocre. This is another great album and she makes you think she's singing all about you.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Pouring it all out
Comment: For her first album of originals since 2000's Invincible Summer, kd lang hearkens back to all the music she's made in the last 25 years. There are touches of her Absolute Torch and Twang country brilliance, the snazzy chanteuse who blossomed on Ingénue and the lush, smokey voice that has carried across all her work from the beginning. It also marks her transition to a mature singer/songwriter.
"Watershed" may be comprised mostly of love songs, but they are subtle takes on the gift. "Coming Home" (the best song here) is exquisitely written; can you name any songwriters of late who can work a word like 'minutiae' into their lyrics? Didn't think so. The heavy handed Moon/June type of love songs are 100% absent from "Watershed," replaced by such delights as "Flame of The Uninspired" or "I Dream Of Spring." The songs are often underscored with gorgeous string charts. It's Lang's first attempt at self-production, and she acquits herself nicely.
Unfortunately, what keeps this album from a more inspiring rating is the fact that it never perks up past low-to-mid tempo. The biggest kicks come from the clever "Upstream," and the country growler that closes the CD, "Jealous Dog." "Dog" is the only song that breaks from the immaculate middle of the road sound. By just setting itself around Lang and her piano/banjo playing, it breaks the mold enough to be a standout. It's an issue that also haunted her prior Nonesuch CD, Hymns of the 49th Parallel, which bogged down under too many low-key songs.
While "Watershed" doesn't fail in its mission to soothe and relax, kd lang has shown multiple times that she is capable of delivering far more. This album is a pleasant, immaculately crafted work, but in the end, it's just immaculate craft. Lang has, in the past, produced art...and "Watershed" falls short of that mark.
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