Drag (k.d. lang album)

Drag is a cover album by k.d. lang, released in 1997; most of its songs feature a smoking motif, although some address broader issues of dependence and/or addiction. The cover of Dionne Warwick's "(Theme from) Valley of the Dolls" was notably used in key scenes in the pilot episode and series finale of the Showtime comedy-drama series Nurse Jackie. Lang's cover of "Hain't It Funny" was part of the soundtrack for the 2002 film Talk to Her.

Reception
In an Allmusic review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote, "A collection of covers that are somehow related to smoking, Drag is far more ambitious than the average cover record... 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."

Writing for the Los Angeles Times, Robert Hilburn wrote "The pace is sometimes slow and demanding and a couple of the songs are marginal, but the heart of this album combines mainstream pop accessibility and torch-driven cabaret intimacy in ways that seem absolutely addicting themselves."

Personnel

 * k.d. lang – vocals
 * Teddy Borowieckl – piano, accordion, keyboard
 * Kevin Breit – banjo, guitar
 * Kimberly Brewer – background vocals
 * Lisa Coleman – keyboards
 * Anthony Cooke – cello
 * Larry Corbett – cello
 * Suzie Katayama – cello
 * Bruce Dukov – violin
 * Henry Ferber – violin
 * Ron Folsom – violin
 * Benji Gavabedian – violin
 * Connie Grauer – piano
 * Portia Griffin – background vocals
 * Jimmie Haskell – conductor
 * Jon Hassell – trumpet
 * Pat Johnson – violin
 * Karen Jones – violin
 * Dennis Karmazyn – cello
 * Ray Kelley – cello
 * Jerry Kessler – cello
 * Marva King – background vocals
 * Abe Laboriel Jr. – drums
 * Greg Leisz – pedal steel
 * Gayle Levant – harp
 * Joe Lovano – saxophone
 * Joy Lyle – violin
 * Wendy Melvoin – guitar
 * Sid Page – violin
 * David Piltch – bass
 * Barbara Porter – cello
 * Jay Rosen – violin
 * David Torn – guitar, kotar
 * Kim Zick – drums

Production

 * Producers: k.d. lang, Craig Street
 * Engineer: Danny Kopelson
 * Assistant engineer: Doug Boehm
 * Mixing: Patrick McCarthy
 * Mixing assistant: Mike Scotella
 * Mastering: Greg Calbi
 * Orchestration: Jimmie Haskell
 * Art direction: Linda Cobb, K.D. Lang
 * Design: Linda Cobb
 * Photography: Albert Sanchez