There's a time to swim upstream and a time to go with the flow.

Trust k.d. lang to do both at once -- and to make it seem like the most natural thing in the world.

The Alberta chanteuse's 10th studio album Watershed is as much of a turning point as its title suggests. It's her first album of original material since 2000's Invincible Summer, ending a years-long writer's-block drought. More crucially, it's the first disc she's produced herself, recording mainly at home and at her own unhurried pace.

Little wonder that these 11 warm, soothing ballads may be her most personal and eclectic works to date. As a songwriter, lang comfortably blends genres from country and roots to electronica and bossa nova. As a producer, she artfully mixes and matches lush strings with rustic banjos, shimmery steel guitars and textured beatboxes. And as the star of the show, she admirably reins in her voice, choosing a husky Karen Carpenterish croon over the rafter-rattling belt of old. And yes, that last statement is a compliment.

Granted, it may not satisfy those with a constant craving for lang's classic torch 'n' twang.

We would humbly suggest this is one of those times to just go with the flow.

I Dream of Spring 4:01

Back-porch banjo and dusty beatbox share space with swooning strings, a darkly ringing acoustic guitar and Greg Leisz's weeping steel guitar on an ear-catching rootsipolitan waltz.

Je Fais la Planche 2:52

The title -- I Make the Plate -- must lose something in translation. But this gentle floater decorated with twinkling vibraphones and fluttery textures gets the message across: Life is but a dream, sweetheart.

Coming Home 3:26

David Piltch's pulsing bass and some plucky offbeat strings create a lushly soulful vibe -- which gets turned on its head by some jaunty banjo and clattery percussion on the back half.

Once in a While 3:28

A chillout cut that begins with keyboard washes, gauzy backup vocals and a subliminal bass groove, then moves into a pop-ballad chorus -- "I will make you happy, baby ... once in a while" -- worthy of Chrissie Hynde.

Thread 3:38

k.d. laments being trapped in love's web over a lightly strummed acoustic guitar, an understated rhythm and Teddy Borowiecki's rich, romantic string arrangement.

Close Your Eyes 4:26

With its lulling blanket of melancholy strings and keyboards, this could easily send you off to dreamland -- at least until some twangy low-neck guitar licks make an entrance.

Sunday 4:17

lang heads to Burt Bacharach's lounge with this lightly swinging slice of 6/8 jazz-pop featuring a ropy standup bass, brushed drums and a freewheeling organ solo.

Flame of the Uninspired 3:30

This fittingly titled slow-burner about loss and desire starts quietly, but evolves into one of the disc's more full-bodied cuts, with a bigger arrangement and vocals from lang to match.

Upstream 3:37

"I always swim upstream," confesses lang (see, we told you) over a minimalist bossa nova whose low-key sensuality is matched by its stylish arrangement.

Shadow and the Frame 3:08

Over a quietly vibrating piano and sweeping strings, lang sadly sings of fading promise. Somewhat ironically, she says she nailed this vocal on the first take.

Jealous Dog 2:32

Supposedly another first take, this is a playful slice of banjo-driven Appalachian gospel that closes the show on a lighthearted note.