This is the first-ever vinyl release of k.d. lang's 2008 Nonesuch album, Watershed, declared "a masterpiece" by the Times. As the title suggests, Watershed represented a milestone in lang’s career. For the first time, she assumed the role of producer, as well as writer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist. “Watershed is like a culmination of everything I’ve done," lang said; "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. I didn’t feel the need to be genre-specific because this experience felt so wide open."
k.d. lang's acclaimed 2008 Nonesuch album, Watershed, is out on vinyl for the first time on November 20, 2020. Watershed was the first album of newly written material from lang since 2000’s Invincible Summer and her first studio album since 2004's Canadian songbook, Hymns of the 49th Parallel. The Times of London declared it "a masterpiece." The New York Times said: "Few singers command such perfection of pitch. Her voice, at once beautiful and unadorned and softened with a veil of smoke, invariably hits the middle of a note and remains there."
As the title suggests, Watershed represented a milestone in k.d. lang’s groundbreaking career. For the first time, she assumed the role of producer—as well as writer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist—for this album of eleven new songs. lang reunited with longtime collaborators from both the studio and the road on the album: pianist Teddy Borowiecki, bassist David Piltch, steel player Greg Leisz, and guitarist Ben Mink. Jon Hassell makes a guest appearance on trumpet, as does Punch Brothers banjo player Noam Pikelny.
Following her previous albums, Watershed is a much more personal look at k.d. lang and where she found herself at the time. Featuring plenty of musical and lyrical intimations of how she got here, lang explained then that “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. I didn’t feel the need to be genre-specific because this experience felt so wide open."
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Produced by k.d. lang
Additional production on tracks 1, 3-5, 9 by David Piltch
Additional production on track 6, 7, 10 by Teddy Borowiecki
Lynne Earls: recording engineer, pro-tools editing, drum programming, GPS
Strings arranged and conducted by Teddy Borowiecki
Mixed by David Leonard
Assited by Kennie Takahashi
Recorded at: Art Kitchen, The Hut, Jungle Room
Strings recorded and mixed at glenwood studios by david leonard and kennie takahashi
Track 4 composed by k.d. lang; tracks 1, 3, 5, 9, 11 by lang/piltch; tracks 2, 8 by lang/mink; track 6 by lang/piltch/leisz/borowiecki; track 7 by lang/borowiecki; track 10 by lang/borowiecki/meredith
Photography: Jeri Heiden
Art Direction: Jeri Heiden
Design: smog design, inc., John Heiden and Nick Steinhardt
MUSICIANS
k.d. lang, vocals (1-11), guitars (1, 3-5, 9), keyboards (1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9), drum programming (9), harp (10), piano (11), banjo (11)
David Piltch, bass (1-10), guitars (1 3), drum programming (1, 4, 7), drums (3, 5), programming (6), percussion (9)
Teddy Borowiecki, organ (1, 2), vibraphone (2, 7, 9), guitar (6), keyboards (6-10), programming (6), drum programming (7), piano (8)
Greg Leisz, steel guitar (1, 3, 4), guitar (1, 6), electric guitar (8, 9)
Danny Frankel, drums (1, 2, 4, 6-9), percussion (2)
Ben Mink, guitar (2, 8)
Lynne Earls, programming (2, 6, 7)
Noam Pikelny, banjo (3)
Bryan Sutton, guitar (4)
Grecco Buratto, guitar (5)
Jon Hassel, trumpet (9)