Kathleen Edwards
Country of origin:
Canada
Type of music generally:
Country-flavored folkrock
Status:
Most recent release, Total Freedom (2020)
See also:
Kathleen Edwards' site
Comparisons:
Lucinda Williams, Sarah Harmer, Neil Young. She cites Aimee Mann as an influence.
Covers/own material:
Own
General comments:
Sarah Harmer-style alt country. (daveupham@hotmail.com)She sounds like a younger Lucinda Williams. Not like Lucinda when Lucinda was younger, but like a younger singer starting from where Lucinda is now. Very cool. (gmcdonald@furia.com)
Incredible percussive guitar, oddly satisfying vocal twists and a violin...although apparently she can't do all three at once. (stone@pangea.ca)
Comments about live performance:
She rocks. Absolutely rocks. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Edwards' voice is much, much stronger live than on her cd. In fact, the whole sound was stronger, tighter, and more visceral. Where I just find the cd interesting, I was totally taken in by her performance. What, at first, I thought was going to be a polite and workman-like representation turned into something much, much more. With an incredibly tight band (who she introduced twice, but I'm afraid I can't remember any of their names) she ripped through all the songs on the album, including a blistering segue from (if I'm not mistaken) "12 Bellevue" to "Maria", which she attacked with such force and ferocity I could feel the top of my head peeling off. There were also a handful of covers (none of which she named and none of which I recognised) and a solo acoustic slot. I left feeling thrilled, fulfilled and absolutely buzzing.
There were a couple of signs that all was not as it seemed—the fact that she was wearing exactly the same outfit as she is on the cover of the album, and that she made the same comment as—reported on this list, I seem to remember—about a fly being in her drink, but that's the conspiracy theorist in me, working overtime in these dark days.
Great gig—weird audience. (5/03, adamk@zoom.co.uk)
Recommended first album:
Failer
Recordings:
- Failer (2002)
- Live from The Bowery Ballroom ep (live, 2003)
- Back to Me (2005)
- Asking for Flowers (2008)
- Voyageur (2012)
- Total Freedom (2020)
Failer
Release info:
2002—Pottymouth Productions, Inc./Maple Music Recordings—MRCD 6406
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Kathleen Edwards—vocals, acoustic guitar, strings
Guest artists:
Peter von Althen—drums, percussion
Kevin McCarragher—bass
Jim Bryson—electric guitar, banjo, vocals
Dave Draves—organ, piano, vibes, feedback
Fred Guignon—slide guitar, lap steel, national steel
Keith Snider—banjo
Joel Anderson—drums and percussion
Maury Lafoy—piano
Dave Dudley—drums
Peter Cancura—baritone, soprano saxophone
Blair Phillips—alto saxophone
Tom Thompson—pedal steel
Produced by:
Dave Draves and Kathleen Edwards
Comments:
If you enjoy Lucinda Williams' Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, you'll like Kathleen Edwards' Failer. She's got a similar voice and a similar sound, but while she reminds me a lot of Lucinda Williams, she doesn't sound at all like an imitator. She's got her own style, smart lyrics, and a collection of sweet, catchy, and fun songs that blend folk, rock, and country. This is a great album, and I look forward to great things from her in the future. (JoAnn Whetsell)One of my top ten of the year. (adamk@zoom.co.uk)
Live from The Bowery Ballroom
Release info:
2003—Zoë Records—01143-2004-2
Availability:
Currently wide, but it is a limited release
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended for fans
Group members:
Kathleen Edwards
Guest artists:
Kevin McCarragher—drums
Colin Cripps—electric guitar, backing vocals, golden tones
Comments:
This is a very good ep. It makes me sorry I missed her at Bumbershoot last year, but mostly it makes me sorry it isn't longer. The 15 minutes of music on the audio side (2 songs from Failer and an AC/DC cover) are excellent, particularly the extended guitar solos. The videos on the DVD side are okay, nothing special, but fun to watch. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Back to Me
Release info:
2003—Zoë Records—01143-1047-2
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Kathleen Edwards—acoustic guitars, banjo, 6- & 12-string acoustic guitars, vibes, electric guitars, strings, tambourine
Guest artists:
Kevin McCarragher—bass
Joel Anderson—drums, percussion
Colin Cripps—electric guitars, slide guitar, 6- & 12-string electric guitars, tambourine, xylophone, hammertone
Benmont Tench—organ, piano
Johnny Dymond—bass
Eric Heywood—pedal steel
Peter von Althen—tambourine, shaker
Gary Craig—drums
Richard Bell—piano, accordion
Pierre Marchand—piano
Richard Underhill—alto sax and brass arrangements
Chris Gale—tenor sax
Bryden Baird—trumpet
William Carn—trumpet
Jim James—vocals (4)
Jim Bryson—vocals (6)
Produced by:
Colin Cripps, Pierre Marchand
Comments:
It's only March, but I'll be very surprised if Back to Me isn't one of my favorite albums of the year. Kathleen Edwards more than delivers on the promise of her excellent debut, Failer, returning with more alt-country folk-rock (with an emphasis on rock). (JoAnn Whetsell)No great departure from her debut, but she fires through it with gusto and commitment, and there are just some glorious songs on here. (adamk@zoom.co.uk)
Asking for Flowers
Release info:
2008—Zoë Records—6 01143-1115-2 5
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Kathleen Edwards—vocals, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, auto harp, oohs, vibraphone, violin 2
Guest artists:
Gary Craig—drums, percussion
Bob Glaub—bass
Colin Cripps—electric guitars, 12-string electric guitars
Jim Bryson—piano, electric guitar, backing vocals
Don Heffington—drums, percussion
Greg Leisz—electric guitars, pedal steel
Bob Packwood—piano, Hammond, organ
Paul Reddick—harmonica
Jim Scott—omnichord
John Ginty—Hammond
Paul Bryan—bass
Benmont Tench—piano, keys, Hammond
Margaret Edwards—oohs
Burke Carroll—pedal steel
Justin Rutledge—backing vocals
Sebastian Steinberg—bass
Anne Lindsay—violin 1
Johann Lotter—viola
Kevin Fox—cello
Produced by:
Jim Scott and Kathleen Edwards
Comments:
With her third album, Kathleen Edwards proves that she's an artist you can count on to deliver solid work. She doesn't change her style much, but that's okay because she's really good at what she does. Musically, the album continues in the folk-rock vein of Back to Me with new forays into social commentary. She touches on contemporary social problems (the war in Iraq, racial discrimination in news reporting, environmental degradation) in a couple of songs. These songs are all about people in pain (one is narrated by a murder victim). (JoAnn Whetsell)
Voyageur
Release info:
2012—Zoë Records—01143-1145-2
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Produced by:
Justin Vernon and Kathleen Edwards
Comments:
Somewhere in between Asking for Flowers and Back to Me in sound. Voyageur doesn't break new ground but it's a good album and a welcome addition to Kathleen's catalog. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Further info:
Kathleen Edwards contributed an otherwise unreleased track to the Men With Brooms soundtrack album.
Thanks to JoAnn Whetsell for work on this entry.
