"Simply to have an absolute, creative, cinematic, visual framework to inspire my own imagination," explains k.d. "It's a thesis, not a conclusion. It's a study of the act of smoking, the act of addiction and the act of love. In fact, it's not really even about smoking. That's just a cipher for the real theme of the record: how love is an elusive thing that all of us crave. We 'smoke' it and then it's over and then we crave it again, even though it kills us. Between the lines of all these cigarette songs are incredible expressions of heartbreak or celebration. Cigarettes themselves can be symbols of defiance, suggesting self-destructiveness, or rebellion, or sexiness."

While certainly aware that smoking is a hot topic these days, k.d. insists that Drag "isn't for or against smoking. In fact, it's not politically motivated at all. Cigarettes seem to be getting the most attention now, but what fascinates me is that tobacco and alcohol and heroin everything else we get addicted to is really a form of emotional cover-up, an escape that stems from deprivations of love. It's all about need. Because need is constant. It never goes away."

The origins of Drag, as a cohesive musical meditation, stemmed from k.d.'s attraction to Peggy Lee's lush and aching classic "Don't Smoke In Bed." "It was a song I've been intrigued with for twenty years," she reveals. "I've always wanted to record it. Then I remembered Les Paul and Mary Ford's 'Smoke Rings' and the concept began to gel. I'd already recorded 'Three Cigarettes In An Ashtray' and 'I'm Down To My Last Cigarette,' so I guess you could say I've been doing variations on this theme for some time."

lang's stunning rendition of "Don't Smoke In Bed" does indeed have the ring of a labor of love. "The line, 'Remember darling, don't smoke in bed,' is really the pay-off of the song," she explains. "It's another way of saying, 'Don't dare sleep with anyone else; don't even think of sleeping with anyone else.' That's the big issue: possessiveness." With an interpretation that adds layer upon layer of meaning and emotion, k.d. lang does indeed possess the song, making it completely her own.

Another standout Drag track is "The Air That I Breathe," a selection the artist calls "The ultimate summation of the album's theme. The song is saying 'no cigarettes, no light, no speed, no sound: all I need is true, straight-ahead, pure love. The opposite emotion is found in 'Love Is Like A Cigarette' which ends the album and together, these two songs are really at the heart of Drag. On the other hand, there's the lightness of 'Smoke Dreams' and 'Smoke Rings,' where maybe it's not a cigarette, maybe it's a pipe...or maybe it's all just a dream."

A sly reading on the alternate meaning of "Drag" can be heard in the abovementioned track "The Joker," a brilliant reworking of the strutting Steve Miller hit. "I covered 'The Joker' first of all because I love the title," she reveals, "especially when it's applied to a woman singing this very male, very macho song. Wendy Melvoin's guitar riff makes it really groovy and the chorus has a great hook. With girls singing it, the song becomes very fresh and sexy, but in an entirely feminine way."

Another standout Drag selection is "Last Cigarette," selected, according to lang, because it's about "that moment of reckoning, when you realize that this addiction sucks, this relationship sucks. It about making the healthy choice after realizing that the momentary pleasure is killing you. That's what I love about this song: it's about stopping the process, reckoning with it, standing up and fighting for your life."

lang enlisted the services of Craig Street -- best known for his work with Cassandra Wilson -- as co-producer on Drag. Drawn to his "spacious and minimal" approach, she followed through with the concept of less-is-better in a recording process that was largely live, with many of the takes done in a single setting.

The result is an album that looks at love through the filter of longing and loneliness, need and nicotine. "The 'Drag' of all these addictions is how complexly contaminated we are by them, how they get in the way and pollute our emotions." And while Drag most certainly breaks new ground in finding resonant symbolism in lighting up, it is also, first and finally, the stellar achievement of a consummate entertainer.