KATHLEEN EDWARDS
Back To Me
MapleMusic
· Singer-songwriter follows up Failer with another winning collection of songs about losers.
By virtually any yardstick, Edward’s 1992 debut, Failer, was an unmitigated success. She quickly moved from playing mainstages at folk festivals to opening slots for AC/DC, Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones and from guesting on Mike Bullard to appearing on The Tonight Show and Late Night With Letterman. Having surpassed her initial, modest goals ("to play a couple of folk festivals and get a booking agent") she now faces the daunting task of fulfilling all this raw promise. Perhaps unsurprisingly, she makes it sound easy.
Back To Me was recorded in Toronto and mixed in L.A. by Jim Scott and the production was handled by her guitarist-bandleader-husband Colin Cripps, who does an admirable job of replicating that cool, crisp Tom Petty and the Indecently Heartbreakers vibe with the urgency knob turned up just a hair. Heartbreakers organist Benmont Tench guests on a few tracks, as does The Band’s pianist, Richard Bell (the new improved Richard Manuel).
Things kick off squarely with "In State." As a followup single to Failer’s opener, "6:00 News," it may be a little too similar, but as a sequel/prequel, it’s absolutely perfect. (Think "It’s my Party" and "Judy’s Turn to Cry," except, in this case, "Judy" is the Criminal Justice System and if a lengthy jail term will keep him alive, then good riddance to the SOB.)
On "What Are you?" the protagonist expresses her exasperation with an ex-lover who refuses to even attempt to move on. "All the dreams you had/ it’s been years and you’re still mad/ You say you like me in your memory/ you’ve gotta be fucking kidding me!?" With all the bitter-angry, whiny-weepy, brokenhearted love songs floating around in the ether, this perspective is refreshing, to say the least.
From the other side of the bed, in for "Old time Sake," she admonishes another lover. "Don’t you dare leave till the morning… like you always do." On "Away" her voice flutters endearingly when she asks, "Do you think I changed/ I swear I didn’t try/ Memory’s a terrible thing/ if you use it right."
For all her tender years (just past the quarter-century mark), Edwards does an amazing job of balancing the subtle and the strident, the earnest and the ironic and the Lucinda Williams and the Liz Phair. Her writing and singing embody the best of both of these amazing women, and her loyal touring band is right there beside her for all the emotional twists and turns. It’s hard to imagine hired-gun session musicians ever cutting so close to the heart of these songs.
No doubt, she’ll take some criticism for not branching out a bit and taking a few more risks, but I’m OK with this. Let her spread her wings and expand her horizons on her next outing. (And if those assholes from The Matrix production team ever come anywhere near her in the studio, I will personally re-evaluate my position on pre-emptive assassinations). Right now the world could use a few more songs like these.
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