Kathleen Edwards Album Reviews

Kathleen Edwards was born in Ottawa but spent part of her youth in Korea and Switzerland with her diplomat father. She grew up playing classical violin and enjoying the music of Bob Dylan and Neil Young.

Edwards skipped college to pursue a career as a musician. After playing SWSX in 2002 she signed a record deal and enjoyed an international release for her debut album Failer. She left the music business to run a cafe named Quitters but returned with Total Freedom in 2020.

With her stripped-back rootsy sound, economical songwriting, and wry humour, Edwards is reminiscent of Freedy Johnston. She’s less eclectic, with most of her records sticking in the alt-country lane, but more consistent.

10 Best Kathleen Edwards Songs

Kathleen Edwards Album Reviews

Failer

2002, 8.5/10
Edwards originally released Failer independently in 2002. Nine months later, it was released in the States, where she gained exposure from appearing on Late Night with David Letterman multiple times.

Failer was recorded on a 16-track machine, with mostly first takes and few overdubs. Producer Dave Draves estimates the record cost less than $3,000 to make. It’s simple but effective – the songwriting is strong, and Jim Bryson’s lead guitar provides some muscle.

Failer is a confident start to Edwards’ career. It starts well with ‘Six O’Clock News’ and ‘One More Song the Radio Won’t Like’. She’s a strong lyricist – from ‘Six O’Clock News’, “you spend half your life trying to turn the other half around” is a great line.

She’s also effective when she mellows out. The third track ‘Hockey Skates’ dials back the intensity, but features more great lines: “I am tired of playing defense/I don’t even have hockey skates”. ‘Mercury’ is another highlight, spare and pretty.

Failer is an impressive debut from Edwards.

Back to Me

2004, 8/10
Edwards’ second album maintains the quality of her debut while adding more of a band feel. It’s more rock-oriented, resembling Lucinda Williams. Guitarist Colin Cripps of Blue Rodeo is an important collaborator, producing the record and contributing to the songwriting. Cripps married Edwards in 2004. The backing band also includes Benmont Tench, a Tom Petty sideman, and Richard Bell, from Janis Joplin’s backing group.

Edwards sounds great in the more muscular arrangements, dobbing a partner in on the opening track ‘In State’.

Maybe 20 years in state will change your mind
In State

The title track recalls the bluesy and literate heartland rock of Lucinda Williams. The arrangements pump up the intensity – even delicate tracks have some punch, and Cripps’ lead guitar is captivating, like on ‘Copied Keys’. The jangle of ‘Summerlong’ and the sparse ‘Old Time Sake’ are gorgeous.

Back to Me is an expertly executed sophomore record, expanding Edwards’ range without sacrificing her rawness and authenticity.

Asking for Flowers

2008, 8.5/10
Edwards’ third album is similar in feel to her first two records. It’s less band-focused, with more stripped-back arrangements. But it’s her most consistent set of songs. She works with producer Jim Scott, who pushes her further towards the mainstream.

‘Alicia Ross’ is one of Edwards’ finest songs. It’s typically dark, about the last thoughts of a famous Canadian murder victim. The tense, minimalist ‘Buffalo’ is another highlight. ‘I Make The Dough, You Get The Glory’ has some unique chorus lyrics – “You’re cool and cred like Fogerty/I’m Elvis Presley in the 70s”.

It’s her record where she’s most often in singer-songwriter mode. On the title track, she sings “asking for flowers/is like asking you to be nice”. There’s also the contemplation of ‘Sure as Shit’ and the biography of ‘Scared at Night’. ‘The Cheapest Key’ feels a little out of place, an uptempo song that resembles Lucinda Williams’s work.

Asking For Flowers is Edwards’ strongest set of songs.

Voyageur

2012, 7/10
Edwards’ fourth album is a departure from her previous work. It’s less sombre, and more musically expansive. Her main collaborator is Justin Vernon from Bon Iver, who provides her with more varied musical settings than usual. It was her highest-charting album, reaching the US top 40, and peaking at #2 in Canada.

It’s nice to hear Edwards trying something different, but Voyageur is often too muted to be effective. There’s an energetic opener, ‘Empty Threat’, with its bait-and-switch chorus – “I’m moving to America/it’s an empty threat”.

The most interesting departure is ‘Change the Sheets’. It’s surprisingly close to Coldplay’s atmospheric pop/rock, but it works. But elsewhere there’s not as much emotional heft as usual. ‘House Full of Empty Rooms’ is presumably about Edwards’ recent divorce, but it’s too smooth to register in this setting.

Voyageur is a nice excursion into new territory, but it’s less engaging than Edwards’ earlier work.

Total Freedom

2020, 7/10
After Voyageur, Edwards took a break from music. She ran a coffee shop in Ottawa named Quitters. Maren Morris lured her back, inviting Edwards to write a song for her 2017 record Girl. This inspired Edwards to write songs again, leading to Total Freedom. It’s instantly comfortable – just like on Failer, Jim Bryson’s lead guitar is tuneful and inviting.

With eight years between studio records, Edwards’ perspective is different with age – she’s less raw, and there’s more mature resignation. It perhaps dips into sentimentality too far on ‘Ashes to Ashes’ – “All the animals that I’ve loved/Will die someday and so will I” is an unusually awkward line for Edwards.

Total Freedom is arguably Edwards’ least consistent record, but it has great moments. ‘Glenfern’ is a great opener, energetic with Bryson’s lively guitar and a pretty chorus that uses Edwards’ higher register. The maturity and self-awareness of songs like ‘Feelings Fade’ and ‘Options Open’ are welcome, and they’re both lovely.

Total Freedom might be Edwards’ weakest effort to date, but it’s still welcome.

Billionaire

2025, 7.5/10
On her sixth album, Edwards collaborates with Jason Isbell and his backing band, the 400 Unit. ‘When the Truth Comes Out’ could have come from Failer, although the 400 Unit are more muscular than any band she’s worked with before. Isbell’s solos enliven songs like ‘Say Goodbye, Tell No One’.

The return to her gritty early sound is welcome, and Billionaire is her best record is almost two decades. She’s still writing great lines like “I was always good to you/You can get blisters from your favourite shoes”.

Edwards moved from Canada to Florida, and some of the most memorable songs commemorate the move. On ‘Little Red Ranger’, she sings “The Leafs still suck at playoff time”, while on ‘Fla’ she’s “Singing a song by my hero/A blonde boy from Gainesville”.

It’s nice to have Edwards back, playing music that recalls her early work while bringing something new.