Personnel: Kevin Breit (guitar, banjo); David Torn , Wendy Melvoin (guitar); Gayle Levant (harp); Ron Folsom, Pat Johnson , Benji Gavabedian, Joy Lyle, Henry Ferber, Karen Jones, Jay Rosen, Sid Page, Bruce Dukov (violin); Jerry Kessler, Barbara Porter, Dennis Karmazyn, Anthony Cooke, Suzi Datayama, Ray Kelley, Larry Corbett (cello); Teddy Borowieckl (accordion, piano, keyboards); Joe Lovano (saxophone); Jon Hassell (trumpet); Connie Grauer (piano); Lisa Coleman (keyboards); Kim Zick, Abe Laboriel, Jr. (drums); Kimberly Brewer, Marva King, Portia Griffin (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: Patrick McCarthy.

Recording information: Sunset Sound Studio 3.

Photographer: Albert Sanchez.

Unknown Contributor Roles: David Torn ; Jimmie Haskell.

Returning, however tentatively, to the torch stylings that made Ingénue her most successful album, k.d. lang crafted an odd commercial comeback with Drag. A collection of covers that are somehow related to smoking, Drag is far more ambitious than the average cover record. She recasts Steve Miller's "The Joker" and the Hollies' "The Air That I Breathe" as slow, bluesy cabaret numbers, while traditional '50s pop like "Don't Smoke in Bed" and "Smoke Rings" act as seductive counterpoints. lang's rich voice and the measured arrangements make Drag a ringer for Ingénue in places, but the tone is considerably lighter and more humorous, which certainly makes it an enjoyable listen. Nevertheless, the very presence of a tongue-in-cheek, all-covers tribute to smoking is a little disheartening in the wake of the wonderful, if severely underappreciated, All You Can Eat, which found lang pushing herself forward. Drag, in comparison, can't help but sound like a retreat. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

DRAG is one more inspired nail in the coffin of Lang's image as a neo-country singer. On the heels of 1995's electronic/dance-oriented ALL YOU CAN EAT, DRAG purports to be a concept album, with all the songs thematically linked by the common subject of cigarettes and smoking. While this link is tenous, uniting such tunes as the Hollies' "The Air That I Breathe" and an otherwise-inexplicable cover of Steve Miller's "The Joker," what really matters here is not the concept, but the music.

With production aid from jazz-pop ace Craig Street (Cassandra Wilson, Jimmy Scott), Lang offers up a sumptuous collections of ballads, gorgeously arranged and beautifully sung. Despite her reputation as a belter, she approaches the songs on DRAG with grace and subtlety, making this lush collection a stirring, understated pleasure.