Absolute Torch and Twang

1	Luck In My Eyes 4:10
2	Three Days 3:17
3	Trail of Broken Hearts 3:24
4	Big Boned Gal 3:08
5	Didn't I 3:39
6	Walflower Waltz 4:22
7	Full Moon Full of Love 2:49
8	Pullin' Back the Reins 4:23
9	Big, Big Love 2:29
10	It's Me 2:20
11	Walkin' In And Out Of Your Arms 3:03
12	Nowhere to Stand 4:27

Barnes & Noble

Following her days as a performance artist and cowpunk wannabe, but before her transformation into a Lawrence Welk and disco-inspired chanteuse, k. d. lang stood as a soul divided between the classic countrypolitan sound she'd explored on her 1988 album, the Owen Bradley-produced Shadowland, and the pop music to which she elegantly surrendered on 1992's Ingenue. In terms of both writing and performing, however, Absolute Torch and Twang marks the point where lang began to forge her own identity instead of attempting to channel the spirit of Patsy Cline. Lang and her aide-de-song Ben Mink craft high-stepping "twangers" like "Luck in My Eyes," "Big Boned Gal" and "Big Big Love" that mix nicely among songs from the "torch" half of the equation --"Wallflower Waltz," "Trail of Broken Hearts," and the marvelous "Pullin' Back the Reins." It's a blend of material that challenges her powerful voice and forceful personality. She prevails. Daniel Durchholz

All Music Guide

Absolute Torch and Twang was the last bona fide country album of k.d. lang's career, and while external circumstances may have forced her hand in exploring other musical avenues, this set suggests she may have already been headed that way. Absolute Torch and Twang is the definitive statement of lang's country period; by this time, she'd moved past the slightly kitschy Patsy Cline homages of her earliest work and developed a strong musical personality of her own, using her rich and supple voice to approach material both witty and heartfelt. lang's collaboration with producer and songwriter Ben Mink was reaching its peak as well, with the performances and arrangements hitting a superb grace note between polish and passion. lang's songwriting had matured, most notably on "Nowhere to Stand," a powerful number about child abuse, and she'd developed a knack for writing about misfits, both defiant and otherwise; as a Canadian lesbian vegetarian performance artist trying to work within mainstream country music, you have to know her heart was with the heroines of "Big Boned Gal" and "Wallflower Waltz." And while lang had embraced vintage countrypolitan sounds on Shadowland, Absolute Torch and Twang found her bridging a gap between Cline-style balladry and polished lounge styles on "Trail of Broken Hearts" and "Pullin' Back the Reins," and finding a comfortable home in the middle ground. While some fans were disappointed when lang retreated from country music on her next album, Ingénue, it's hard to imagine her (or anyone else) topping an album quite as strong as Absolute Torch and Twang. Mark Deming