Reviews
Kathleen Edwards
Back To Me
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Add to del.ico.us.Review Date: 2005-03-15
An acclaimed debut album must be a hard act to follow. Kathleen Edwards didn’t exactly hit the big time with Failer, but she came pretty close for a Canadian singer-songwriter – critical kudos, television appearances, plenty of buzz at SXSW.
Edwards’ new album, Back to Me, doesn’t have the same cast of boozy characters and cads that peppered Failer's lyrics. It’s also without some of the youthful brazenness of her debut, which may be the result of the changes she’s seen in her life since her career took off.
What has remained is her better-than-average lyrics, mostly free from the treacle and cliché that drags down some of her contemporaries – love is rarely ending happily in Edwards’ world, and the dose of realism she brings to her lyrics is welcome.
Edwards also kept the sound that worked for her on her last album, straddling between rock and country. It’s pure Canadiana in the vein of Blue Rodeo; there’s even a strong cover of the band’s singer Jim Bryson’s “Somewhere Else”. It’s not overly inventive, and Edwards doesn’t mess with it much, but it works well as a backdrop to the songs.
The album starts on a similarily catchy note to “Six O’Clock News”, Failer's opening song. "In State" harkens back to the song lyrically as well, with its tale of a less-than-law-abiding lover. Edwards continues the musical momentum with the album's title track, which has good potential to be a hit in multiple formats – rock and country.
Some of Edwards’ relationship-related weariness pops back in with “Old Time Sake”. The song walks the emotional line between frustration and resignion with a coupling Edwards knows won’t end as she hopes, and it’s good to see that her sharp powers of observation have remained.
“What Are You Waiting For” is probably the closest thing on Back to Me to my favourite song from Failer, “12 Bellevue”. It’s catchy without being cloying, and Edwards’ weary but righteously pissed “You say you like me in your memory/you’ve got be fucking kidding me” is the best line on the album. That song is followed up by the equally-strong “Away”, where Edwards does a good job of capturing some of the lonliness and disconnect that must come from life on the road.
Overall, the album lacks some of the rawness of Failer, but it's still a strong follow-up to her debut, with several standout songs and no throwaways. This might have a higher score in a few months; I think Back to Me has strong potential as a grower, just like Failer did.
Score: 7.8
- Terri