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Avg: 4.5 (24 ratings)
- Date Released: March 4, 2008
- Genre: Rock/Pop
- Label: MapleMusic Recordings
Folkstress serves up a beautifully bitter pill
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We Say...
Kathleen Edwards writes the sort of simple, earthy guitar-based songs that the genre-obsessed slot as alt-country or roots-rock, but in fact, her twang is less likely to summon up images of an Ontarian Lucinda Williams than of a female Freedy Johnston. And like that master of miniaturist character studies, Edwards has a knack for placing convincing words in the mouth of a first-person who's not herself. "Alicia Ross" is sung from the perspective of a real-life murder victim and on "Oil Man's War," a driver, fleeing across the northern border to avoid the clutches of the US military, begs his sweetie "keep your hand on my thigh tonight" so warmly that you can almost forgive Edwards overlooking the fact that there's no draft to dodge. (Not yet, anyway.)
Much of her pithily phrased bitterness, however, bears the personal stamp of a woman who's spent a lot of time on the road — in particular the three best cuts here. "The Cheapest Key" is a stinging kiss-off that runs alphabetically through the musical staff from A to G ("F is my favorite letter/ As you know"), "I Make the Dough, You Get the Glory" is a rootsy revamp of "You're the Top" and the title track voices a request that no loving woman should have to make. -
They Say...
Kathleen Edwards' 2005 album Back to Me was the sort of record that grows and reveals new secrets each time you gave it a listen, so it's tempting not to trust immediate impressions after three spins of her next set, 2008's Asking for Flowers. But if one has to leap to a relative snap judgment, Edwards' new record sounds just as strong as its fine predecessor, and shows that she is gaining strength and confidence as a songwriter, qualities she hardly lacked before. Produced by Jim Scott and featuring a handful of top-notch American studio players (Benmont Tench, Greg Leisz), Don Heffington) alongside members of Edwards' Canadian road band (Colin Cripps, Jim Bryson), Asking for Flowers shows a broader range of colors than her first two albums (both lyrically and musically) than her earlier work. The playful wit of "I Make the Dough, You Get the Glory" ("You're cool and cred like Fogerty/I'm Elvis Presley in the Seventies") and "The Cheapest Key" ("Here comes my softer side/And there it goes!") is livelier than her previous work, but the gravity of "Alicia Ross" (based on a true story of a murdered teenager) and "Oh Canada" (a rant against social injustice in her homeland) cuts deep into the heart, and "Oil Man's War" is a tale of a draft-age man fleeing to Canada during the Vietnam War that's affecting and sadly relevant. The music is beautifully rendered and moves with the emotional peaks and valleys with surety and grace. And when Edwards sings about love, as she does often, it's with a naked honesty that's genuinely touching and reinforced by the rough but sweet tone of her voice. Back to Me was the work of a singer/songwriter well on her way to becoming a major artist; Asking for Flowers leaves no doubt that Kathleen Edwards has arrived and made an album that's funny, startling, poignant, and (once again) worthy of repeated play.
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| 01. |  |
Buffalo |
5:16 |
|
| 02. | |
The Cheapest Key |
2:42 |
|
| 03. | |
Asking For Flowers |
5:02 |
|
| 04. | |
Alicia Ross |
5:07 |
|
| 05. | |
I Make The Dough, You Get The Glory |
4:37 |
|
| 06. | |
Oil Man's War |
4:02 |
|
| 07. | |
Sure As Shit |
4:10 |
|
| 08. | |
Run |
3:44 |
|
| 09. | |
Oh Canada |
3:59 |
|
| 10. | |
Scared At Night |
4:10 |
|
| 11. | |
Goodnight, California |
6:29 |
|
11 Total Tracks, 49:18 Total Length
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Credits
- Benmont Tench - Piano // Benmont Tench - Keyboards // Benmont Tench - Organ (Hammond) // Paul Bryan - Bass // Gary Craig - Percussion // Gary Craig - Drums // Kevin Dean - Engineer // Kevin Dean - Engineer // Richard Dodd - Mastering // Bob Glaub - Bass // Don Heffington - Percussion // Don Heffington - Drums // Greg Leisz - Pedal Steel // Greg Leisz - Guitar (Electric) // Jim Scott - Producer // Jim Scott - Engineer // Jim Scott - Omnichord // Jim Scott - Mixing // Sebastian Steinberg - Bass // Stephen Rhodes - Engineer // Colin Cripps - Guitar (Electric) // Colin Cripps - Guitar (12 String Acoustic) // Denis Tougas - Engineer // John Ginty - Organ (Hammond) // Ken Sluiter - Engineer // Jim Bryson - Piano // Jim Bryson - Guitar (Electric) // Jim Bryson - Vocals (Background) // Anne Lindsay - Violin // Paul Reddick - Harmonica // Paul Reddick - Harmonica // Paul Reddick - Harmonica // Kathleen Edwards - Guitar (Acoustic) // Kathleen Edwards - Violin // Kathleen Edwards - Autoharp // Kathleen Edwards - Guitar (Electric) // Kathleen Edwards - Vocals // Kathleen Edwards - Vocals (Background) // Kathleen Edwards - Producer // Kathleen Edwards - Vibraphone // Burke Carroll - Pedal Steel // Bob Packwood - Organ // Bob Packwood - Piano // Bob Packwood - Organ (Hammond) // Johann Lotter - Viola // Daniel Lohnes - Design // Justin Rutledge - Vocals (Background)
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