|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s
Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or
view the MP3 Album.
Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
On her third album, Kathleen Edwards is poised reach the larger audiences she deserves. More striking on this new release is her stronger vocal and lyrical prowess which makes it apparent that she’s in the zone of her craft. After proving her mettle on previous outings, she delivers with further conviction and confidence across songs suited for both quiet country roads and late night city bars. Her songs are often delivered with rough edges and heavy, somewhat smoky breath, yet nothing is overstated. As one of the latest great female voices to emerge on the Alt-Country scene, Kathleen Edwards stands tall next to other significant genre partners including Lucinda Williams, Gillian Welch, and Patty Griffin. In her lyrics she willingly reveals the ghosts in her closet, as well as her own self recriminations, at one point stating that, “Choosing my words carefully / has never been my strength / I’ve been known to be vague and often pointless.” Maybe so, but the essence of her meaning and the tone of its delivery still resonates with lonely hearts and souls driving down life’s dustier roads.
--Lucas Hilbert
--Lucas Hilbert
Product Description
Kathleen Edwards' Asking for Flowers is her first new album in three years. The album features eleven new songs, all written by Edwards, and finds her performing at the peak of her creative powers, supported by a group of master backing musicians. Flowers tells indelible, clear-eyed stories of hope and resignation, humor and death, unconditional love and brazen inequality. Co-produced by Edwards and Jim Scott (Tom Petty, Whiskeytown), the album features, among others, keyboardist Benmont Tench from The Heartbreakers, drummer Don Heffington (Bob Dylan, The Wallflowers), bassist Bob Glaub (Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon, Leonard Cohen), guitarist Colin Cripps (Sarah McLachlan, Bryan Adams), and pedal steel ace Greg Leisz (Sheryl Crow, Wilco, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss).
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
43 of 45 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
It's hard to believe that Kathleen Edwards has been able to churn out 3 excellent albums in a row, without the slightest sign of anything
being rushed, duplicated, or cheesy, but she has done it.
When I listened to her first album, "Failer", I must have played it 50 times, and thought it was the best album made by anyone, in any genre, in 20 years. At first, I thought her second, "Back To Me" flagged a little, but then realized I needed to listen to it more and that it had simply taken a turn toward a more rocked up sound.
"Asking For Flowers" is yet another beautiful turn, still preserving Edwards gorgeously emotional husky voice and introspective story telling. But the melodies are more delicate and mature, as are the stories. If you enjoyed her folk, rock, and humorous styles on the first two albums, you will not be disappointed with this CD. All of those elements are still there. Songs like "I Make The Dough, You Get The Glory" and "The Cheapest Key" show her cut-to-the-chase fighting side. Songs like "Asking For Flowers" are simply heartbreakingly beautiful and honest.
"Alicia Ross" carries its own weight about a kidnapped murdered girl, even if you don't know the true story on which it was based.
Musically, the styles are very similar to her other work, deftly mixing in some of Kathleen's solo violin playing, and the band's slide electric guitar and harmonica with just the right touches to add snap to the song arrangements.
The only knock I have against this album is the same one I had for the other two. The recording quality is just not up to par. All her albums have a mid-rangey muddiness that make the band sound like they were recorded in a metal box. The drums sound somewhat like old pots and pans, the bass is lost in murkiness with no definition, and her voice needs to be up more in the overall mix. But the musicianship, her wonderful singing, and beautiful songs are just so darn good that I can overlook the recording quality with ease.
If the rest of the stupid music industry would wake up and listen to albums like this, they would start to understand what it means to create a quality album - an album worth buying and listening to over and over again so you can appreciate it, like the layers of color on a fine oil painting.
It's truly rare to find somebody who can write good song after good song, never becoming repetitive or boring, and always stretching. This must be what it was like when The Beatles were releasing new albums in the 1960s.
Bravo, Kathleen!
being rushed, duplicated, or cheesy, but she has done it.
When I listened to her first album, "Failer", I must have played it 50 times, and thought it was the best album made by anyone, in any genre, in 20 years. At first, I thought her second, "Back To Me" flagged a little, but then realized I needed to listen to it more and that it had simply taken a turn toward a more rocked up sound.
"Asking For Flowers" is yet another beautiful turn, still preserving Edwards gorgeously emotional husky voice and introspective story telling. But the melodies are more delicate and mature, as are the stories. If you enjoyed her folk, rock, and humorous styles on the first two albums, you will not be disappointed with this CD. All of those elements are still there. Songs like "I Make The Dough, You Get The Glory" and "The Cheapest Key" show her cut-to-the-chase fighting side. Songs like "Asking For Flowers" are simply heartbreakingly beautiful and honest.
"Alicia Ross" carries its own weight about a kidnapped murdered girl, even if you don't know the true story on which it was based.
Musically, the styles are very similar to her other work, deftly mixing in some of Kathleen's solo violin playing, and the band's slide electric guitar and harmonica with just the right touches to add snap to the song arrangements.
The only knock I have against this album is the same one I had for the other two. The recording quality is just not up to par. All her albums have a mid-rangey muddiness that make the band sound like they were recorded in a metal box. The drums sound somewhat like old pots and pans, the bass is lost in murkiness with no definition, and her voice needs to be up more in the overall mix. But the musicianship, her wonderful singing, and beautiful songs are just so darn good that I can overlook the recording quality with ease.
If the rest of the stupid music industry would wake up and listen to albums like this, they would start to understand what it means to create a quality album - an album worth buying and listening to over and over again so you can appreciate it, like the layers of color on a fine oil painting.
It's truly rare to find somebody who can write good song after good song, never becoming repetitive or boring, and always stretching. This must be what it was like when The Beatles were releasing new albums in the 1960s.
Bravo, Kathleen!
20 of 24 people found the following review helpful
By R. Vosik
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I think that "Failer" was one of the best debut albums of the last 10
years. I don't find that I listen to "Back To Me" very much, and I
wondered whether maybe the first album would stand as the best of
Kathleen's career.
I did not know what to expect with "Asking for Flowers". I'd read in
No Depression that Kathleen had experimented a bit more, and I did
not find that particularly appealing, frankly.
The first couple of spins did not catch my attention. I didn't hear
any song which had a hook that caught me.
But somewhere along the line, this CD really started to get to me.
It's alternately poignant and humorous--take the juxtaposition
of 'Alicia Ross', a haunting, true story about the murder of a young
girl, with 'I Make The Dough, You Get the Glory" with its already
classic "You're the great one, I'm Marty McSorley" line. That one
will resonate with Canadians and hockey fans.
'Buffalo' is tremendous, 'The Cheapest Key' is straight ahead, no-
nonsense, no-message rock. 'Scared at Night' is beautiful.
This album has it all--poignant lyrics, great rock, catchy hooks and some nice humor. Truly a keeper--and a masterpiece.
Anyway, if you ask me, this one is a classic and leads my 'Best of
2008'.
Rick V
vosmo
(Please note--no mention of 'Neil Young' or 'Lucinda Williams' in the above review!)
years. I don't find that I listen to "Back To Me" very much, and I
wondered whether maybe the first album would stand as the best of
Kathleen's career.
I did not know what to expect with "Asking for Flowers". I'd read in
No Depression that Kathleen had experimented a bit more, and I did
not find that particularly appealing, frankly.
The first couple of spins did not catch my attention. I didn't hear
any song which had a hook that caught me.
But somewhere along the line, this CD really started to get to me.
It's alternately poignant and humorous--take the juxtaposition
of 'Alicia Ross', a haunting, true story about the murder of a young
girl, with 'I Make The Dough, You Get the Glory" with its already
classic "You're the great one, I'm Marty McSorley" line. That one
will resonate with Canadians and hockey fans.
'Buffalo' is tremendous, 'The Cheapest Key' is straight ahead, no-
nonsense, no-message rock. 'Scared at Night' is beautiful.
This album has it all--poignant lyrics, great rock, catchy hooks and some nice humor. Truly a keeper--and a masterpiece.
Anyway, if you ask me, this one is a classic and leads my 'Best of
2008'.
Rick V
vosmo
(Please note--no mention of 'Neil Young' or 'Lucinda Williams' in the above review!)
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By P. Roy
Format:Audio CD
Canadian artist Kathleen Edwards' latest offering "Asking For Flowers" is a very nice step up from her previous release "Back To Me" and is a true diamond in the rough. Even though some people have compared her to a younger version of Lucinda Williams, Kathleen Edwards is definitely a bona fide star in her own right and this release just cements what has been building over the last ten years. Each successive release has been more revealing than the last and the song quality and musicianship has continued to evolve, improve dramatically, and has been nothing short of amazing.
This disc easily has five or six tunes that will grab you by the collar and not let go. The lead-off song, "The Cheapest Key" has a great tempo and other songs such as "Buffalo," "Alicia Ross," "Run," "Oil Man's War," "Goodnight, California" and "Oh Canada" are solid, well-composed and finely crafted alt-country and rock numbers that are both a delight to hear and only get better and better with repeated playings. Yet, even with this strong line-up of songs, the true shining gems on this disc are the tracks "Scared At Night" and the title song "Asking For Flowers." In my modest opinion, they are genuine works of art!
When I first picked up this disc, I didn't quite know what to really make of it but with a little patience and an open mind, this release has quickly grown to be a personal favourite. I can only imagine that by the time I've finally had my fill of the CD - which may be never - there will be some serious skid marks to show for it. It's just that damned good!
Do yourselves a huge, huge favour and pick up a copy a.s.a.p. For fans of alt-country, pop and rock, this disc will not disappoint. Move over Lucinda, Kathleen's going to keep you company for a long, long time to come. This is, BY FAR, the best alt-country/rock release of 2008!
This disc easily has five or six tunes that will grab you by the collar and not let go. The lead-off song, "The Cheapest Key" has a great tempo and other songs such as "Buffalo," "Alicia Ross," "Run," "Oil Man's War," "Goodnight, California" and "Oh Canada" are solid, well-composed and finely crafted alt-country and rock numbers that are both a delight to hear and only get better and better with repeated playings. Yet, even with this strong line-up of songs, the true shining gems on this disc are the tracks "Scared At Night" and the title song "Asking For Flowers." In my modest opinion, they are genuine works of art!
When I first picked up this disc, I didn't quite know what to really make of it but with a little patience and an open mind, this release has quickly grown to be a personal favourite. I can only imagine that by the time I've finally had my fill of the CD - which may be never - there will be some serious skid marks to show for it. It's just that damned good!
Do yourselves a huge, huge favour and pick up a copy a.s.a.p. For fans of alt-country, pop and rock, this disc will not disappoint. Move over Lucinda, Kathleen's going to keep you company for a long, long time to come. This is, BY FAR, the best alt-country/rock release of 2008!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Kathleen Edwards - Touching the stratosphere
There is something both odd and wonderful how some artists float around your mental universe but never register; slipping away ignored nto the grey areas of your listening... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Red on Black
2.0 out of 5 stars
Gossamer monotony
I have to say, after many have recommended Edwards to me, I still don't get it. This sounds like a slightly up-tempo version of Sarah McLaughlin, whose music I also think is... Read more
Published 6 months ago by philprof
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply incredible.
What if you could take the lyrical prowess and folk sensibilities of Neil Young, the guts of Lucinda Williams, blend them up, and top it all off with a voice as delicate as a... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Jeff Shurts
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wow!!
Kathleen Edwards is that rare song writer who manages to combine powerful and stark lyrics with a voice so lush and haunting that her songs play in your head long after a listen. Read more
Published on December 31, 2010 by Eliot
3.0 out of 5 stars
I guess I don't get it.
I was given this cd by someone who thought I'd "love" it because I like Indigo Girls, Leonard Cohen, Cheryl Wheeler, and Richard Shindell. Read more
Published on April 18, 2009 by Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully written and produced
It's hard not to love Kathleen Edwards. Her songs are beautifully written, and this album is especially well produced. Lush is the word that keeps coming to mind. Read more
Published on February 27, 2009 by Andrew Minson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exceptionally Brilliant Album
I'd completely passed Ms Edwards' first two albums by, but took a chance on this one, based on Amazon reviews. One word: wow! Read more
Published on February 14, 2009 by Peter Savage
5.0 out of 5 stars
an amazing album
Kathleen Edwards is a great songwriter, and this album is her best to date. A true "album," that holds together when listened to straight through, that succeeds as a whole. Read more
Published on February 14, 2009 by M. Reilly
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just buy it already
Short and sweet review. If you already have her other works, grab this one, probably her best of the three. Read more
Published on January 6, 2009 by Barnabas O'Collins
5.0 out of 5 stars
Third Time Around For Kathleen
Leave it to Kathleen Edwards to make her third album, ASKING FOR FLOWERS, every bit as caustic and as interesting as her first two (FAILER; BACK TO ME) had been. Read more
Published on December 28, 2008 by Erik North
So You'd Like to...
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Look for Similar Items by Category
|
