With her third album, Kathleen Edwards has begun to find her own voice. No longer the love-child of Lucinda Williams and Neil Young, Edwards emerges with a sound and voice all her own.
Previous efforts, Failer and Back to Me, often offered whimsy as she took on topics like dating and mating in modern times. The Edwards of old offered lyrics like “But I don’t think your wife would like my friends” (from “Westby” on Failer). Lyrics like this spoke comically about Edwards playing hard to get. These sentiments, however, no longer are part of her canon with her latest release. The title track, “Asking for Flowers,” pleads sorrowfully, “Asking for flowers / Is like asking for you to be nice / Don’t tell me you’re too tired / Ten years I’ve been working nights.” Apparently, the earlier play was for naught; she wound up in the relationship she had playfully avoided. These sentiments are furthered in “The Cheapest Key” in which Edwards complains “B is for bullsh*t and you fed me some.”
Continuing her maturation, Edwards takes on larger issues that the standard heartache.
Songs like “Oh Canada” and “Oil Man’s War” show Edwards beginning to play in a political realm of sadness and turmoil.
Musically, Edwards’ evolution is on full display. Tracks like “Buffalo” and “Asking for Flowers” boast a timbre richness that she had yet to capture on tape. There is a newfound cohesiveness that trumps the previous adjunct instruments. Asking for Flowers succeeds in delivering a rich, textured sonic feel.
Other standout tracks include “Goodnight, California” and “I Get the Money, You Get the Glory,” a country-honk tune that, in one of the more creative lyrical offerings, boasts allusions to Gretzky and Marty McSorley, two of hockey’s greatest. The pedal-steel guitar is a welcome addition as well.
Previous efforts, Failer and Back to Me, often offered whimsy as she took on topics like dating and mating in modern times. The Edwards of old offered lyrics like “But I don’t think your wife would like my friends” (from “Westby” on Failer). Lyrics like this spoke comically about Edwards playing hard to get. These sentiments, however, no longer are part of her canon with her latest release. The title track, “Asking for Flowers,” pleads sorrowfully, “Asking for flowers / Is like asking for you to be nice / Don’t tell me you’re too tired / Ten years I’ve been working nights.” Apparently, the earlier play was for naught; she wound up in the relationship she had playfully avoided. These sentiments are furthered in “The Cheapest Key” in which Edwards complains “B is for bullsh*t and you fed me some.”
Continuing her maturation, Edwards takes on larger issues that the standard heartache.
Songs like “Oh Canada” and “Oil Man’s War” show Edwards beginning to play in a political realm of sadness and turmoil.
Musically, Edwards’ evolution is on full display. Tracks like “Buffalo” and “Asking for Flowers” boast a timbre richness that she had yet to capture on tape. There is a newfound cohesiveness that trumps the previous adjunct instruments. Asking for Flowers succeeds in delivering a rich, textured sonic feel.
Other standout tracks include “Goodnight, California” and “I Get the Money, You Get the Glory,” a country-honk tune that, in one of the more creative lyrical offerings, boasts allusions to Gretzky and Marty McSorley, two of hockey’s greatest. The pedal-steel guitar is a welcome addition as well.
Edwards’ arrival is on full display. At times capricious but overly moody, she has given us a album of that is fully her own both lyrically and sonically.
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