Kathleen Edwards' Asking for Flowers: Shooting For Neil Young, Settling for Gord Downie

Since the Black Sheep Inn denied (Cult)ure’s music reviewers access to Kathleen Edwards' March shows, I decided to download her new album, Asking for Flowers, which was released the same month on MapleMusic in Canada, and on Zoe Records/Rounder in the U.S.

11 minutes later, I was listening to the opening piano chords from "Buffalo,” the first song on Asking For Flowers. This is album number three for the ‘alt-country’ artist who began her career singing at Woody's Pub, right here in Ottawa. Since her 2003 breakthrough, Failer, Edwards has toured the world to universal acclaim, appeared on Letterman, and has even bagged a couple of minor radio hits in “Six O’clock News” and "Back to Me.”

A friend of mine had warned me about some of the vocals on this album, and his comments appear to be justified. Edwards' singing on the opening verse of "Buffalo" is downright difficult to listen to, holding ending notes that waver on and off-key. It sounds like she’s up at open mic for the first time.  I assume that Kathleen Edwards can sing on key, she’s been in a touring band for 8 years now. (Maybe readers who got into the Black Sheep can vouch for her?), so all I ask is, WHY were the vocals left like this?!  It is unfortunate, especially since “Buffalo” is by all other aspects a good song.

If one manages to get past “Buffalo,” the next thing you will hear is the drummer yelling "1... 2... 3!” and then muted electric power chords from “The Cheapest Key.” In this song, she’s upset at somebody she used to collaborate with and she exposes the person to be the big fraud that they really are, but I have no idea who. On that note, I can say I really like "The Cheapest Key.” The punkish snarl of her vocals and rhythm guitar form a unique blend with Who-ish piano chords, (think “Baba O’Riley”). The lyrical structure of “A is for _____ B is for _____” wouldn’t have struck me as a good idea, but Edwards sings it with a scrappy conviction that is irresistible.

Another highlight here is “I Make the Dough, You Get the Glory,” whose witty lyrics appealed to me instantly. In the song, Kathleen returns to the autobiographical premise, comparing herself to “Elvis in the 70s,” and singing, “You’re the Great One, I’m Marty McSorley.” She could be referring to the same estranged collaborator from “The Cheapest Key,” but this time it’s from a more affectionate perspective. These lyrics also come wrapped in her best melody yet, but damned if that off-key singing doesn’t return as well!  It is slightly more endearing this time (and even the singing on “Buffalo” started to grow on me after a couple of listens).

Asking for Flowers boasts some other solid moments: the superbly-written “Alicia Ross” and its disarming, low-register chorus melody, and “Oil Man’s War,” which rises above the typical anti-Bush bash to paint a moving, poignant narrative following both male and female characters that decided to conscientiously object.

Despite these moments, the majority of Asking for Flowers is frustratingly average. The less-than-stellar title track reflects my sentiments for the entire album: exquisitely recorded, but stuck in Nashville middle gear, giving the songs a familiarity that makes them impossible to listen to objectively. The title track also features a Neil Young-esque solo that bridges “Cortez the Killer” and “Like a Hurricane.”

The song “Run” amalgamates distinctive pieces from prior songs: the pre-chorus melody sounds taken from “I Make the Dough,” and to the surprise of no one, Neil Young re-appears at the 1:28 point to lay down some more "Cortez the Hurricane" licks.

Then there's "Oh Canada,” the worst song on the album. When Kathleen Edwards holds her notes just right, she sounds a bit like a female version of Gord Downie, which is intriguing, since “Oh Canada” clearly tries to rip-off "Rockin' in the Free World,” but actually ends up sounding more like The Hip’s “When the Weight Comes Down.” At the end of the song the listener is rewarded with yet another imitation Neil solo. (Did I mention how these Neil solos are getting on my nerves? They continue to crop up on every other song! On this one in particular I can picture Neil freaking out all over the stage, abusing his guitar, wild silver locks flying.)

I hate to say bad things about Kathleen Edwards, she seems like a lovely person with great taste in music, and many people in this city enjoy her songs and are pulling for her to succeed. The bad songs here probably aren't as bad as I make them out to be, but then again neither are the good ones, and that’s my concern with Asking for Flowers. Music critics in North America have been resoundingly supportive of Edwards, and the press behind 2003's Failer certainly helped her achieve worldwide attention. But the acclaim may have been less a reflection of Edward's songwriting talent, and had more to do with the idea of a “cute girl fronting Crazy Horse” seeming novel at the time, and sounding refreshing to reviewers' ears.

In 2008, I’m not really sure how Kathleen Edwards can distinguish herself from other women in the Can-con cannon (and that includes singing off-key). There’s nothing on Asking For Flowers that wouldn’t easily fit on an album by Sarah Harmer or Neko Case, and neither of them get any play on the cashboat that is Country Radio.  Critical acclaim can be as fair-weather as an Ottawa Senators fan. Eventually, Edwards will need to either achieve mainstream appreciation, or make a work of indisputable genius. Otherwise, she will be a 29-year-old in a sinking ship in the music business, with each subsequent release garnering incrementally less and less attention.

Perhaps Edwards needn’t worry, if she has back-to-back shows in Wakefield selling out in minutes. Asking for Flowers does show signals of a promising future. In the last song, "Goodbye California,” Kathleen finally crawls out from underneath her influences, and the musicians follow suit to create something fresh and original, with an inspired bass-snare groove, dreamy guitars, soaring background vocals, and a harmonica that sounds like a trumpet. The combination launches us into an ethereal world far removed from a Nashville studio. This is precisely where Edwards needs to venture if she wants to transform this promising start into a life’s work.

© 2008 Kris Millet; licensee (Cult)ure Magazine.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Comments (2)

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Joe Christian

March 31, 2010

Votes: +2

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How did you get this gig?

I'm a little late getting to the party on this record (Kathleen Edwards' "Asking For Flowers"), so I'm just now getting around to read about it almost 2 years after your review.
Your feelings got hurt that you weren't let in for free and you trashed the record. That's bad enough. To go and discuss your friends opinion and your predisposition is less forgivable.
You're wrong about Kathleen Edwards' singing being "off-key". It's beautiful. It combines a feminine frailty with an impassioned rocking spirit. It's tough but vulnerable. Like when the littlest dog bows up to the biggest dog - inspiring; exciting. AND it sets us up for when those softer moments come. How did you get this gig anyway, Kris? You don't know hat you're talking about - this album is hypnotic and gorgeous, top to bottom. By the time I got to your line about "Oh, Canada" being the worst song, I just wanted to break my foot off in your ass. Find another line of work - you are terrible at this and effects others. Thank god nobody reads it.
Here's the deal: Kathleen Edwards' "Asking For Flowers" moves me like no record has since Radiohead's "OK, Computer". Now I KNOW you're feelings are hurt and now we're even.

charn

May 11, 2010

Votes: +1

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Look at the big picture!

I think the comment above addresses a lot about this review... 'Asking for Flowers' may not be as song-for-song solid as 'Back to me' but it is a more intimate album and that is what shines about it.
I for one appreciate the vocals - sure they are not as filtered, practiced or produced as most other female vocalists in rock and country but kathleen can really wail both in studio and live and we hear that on this album. besides we don't criticize male vocalists for 'character' or the rare off note. janis joplin sure didn't hit all the notes like the pretty little country divas but in the end no one cared, there was something about her singing that was just good.
I also think katheen edwards distinguishes herself from the rest of her generation of around 30-something, canrock gals in her better songwriting; it is more storytelling, more personal, much like neil young as you mentioned in the review and very much genre bridging for both alternative, rock and country.
In terms of success and where she fits in the national music scene, I think kathleen edwards is very interestingly positioned. The band that backs her on this album, that you seem to not fully appreciate, is actually made up of some of the best muscians in the country. Those guitar parts you're bashing are being played by Colin Cripps and Jim Bryson, two of the great behind the scenes players. Jim Bryson just finished an album on which the weakerthans back him up and Colin Cripps is laying down tracks on some of Sarah McLaughlin's new songs this year, I'm sure to add similar polish as on 'asking for flowers.' kathleen's collaboration with these musicians, not to mention all the others like blue rodeo, justin rutledge and the like is just the tip of the iceberg of this community of muscians. The canrock music media is all over the story about the arts & crafts record label, the broken social scene family of muscians and the montreal scene etc. but I would argue a similar intertwined, collaborative collective of musicians in ontario exists under the umbrella of alt-folk-country lead by blue rodeo whom kathleen edwards is very close to. the last few times I've seen jim cuddy play kathleen edwards came up on stage at some point and vice versa.
If people want to get into kathleen edwards sure, start with 'back to me,' but 'asking for flowers' should be bought at the same time because it is a great album and has significance on its own.

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