Customer Reviews

Back to Me

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Kathleen Edwards had already exhibited a great deal of artistic confidence on her first record, Failer, but on Back to Me, she seems to have moved on to the next level.

Her songwriting remains sharp and melodic, exhibiting a Neil Young-like ability to write concise, flowing lyrics and express deep emotions via simple, effective melodies. Her singing, however, has taken especially great strides. Playing and singing live for the past year has done wonders for her technique, for her pitch is more accurate, her phrasing more engaging, and her timbre far more rich than before. Instrumentally she gathers yet another great band, this one spearheaded by one of Canada's great guitarists, Colin Cripps (formerly of Crash Vegas, now married to Edwards, and also the producer on this record), whose expansive, ringing tones and innovative parts add immensely to Edwards' palette. Like Jon Brion, Cripps has a knack for playing unusual yet perfectly comfortable parts within simple songs, augmenting but never interfering with the central melody or the vocals. Witness rock-out title track "Back to Me", where the electric guitar brilliantly emulates a fiddle, the simple, wailing slide guitar on "What Are You Waiting For?", and the guitar-as-string-section chimes of "Somewhere Else".

But as great the sonic backdrop is, Edwards remains the star, with a voice that's lonely, optimistic, worldly and vulnerable at the same time. Lead track "In State"'s restrained croon is magnetic, married to a gently insistent beat and Cripps' slithering guitar lines; the Byrds-like 12-string guitars and gentle balladry of "Summerlong" are seductive; "Copied Keys" mines one of Edwards' (and Neil Young's) favourite themes, wanderlust, backed by a naked, picked acoustic guitar line and elemental string and slide parts; "What Are You Waiting For?" is the best uptempo track, with its heartbroken guitar hook and Edwards' soulful singing. But the best track, hands down, is "Pink Emerson Radio", a spacious ballad where Edwards' voice is simply angelic, hitting a wrenching high range she's never explored, and a sad melody that cuts straight to the heart. The song also features her best lyrics to date, a collage of imagery linked by the heartbreak of abandonment -- easily the best entry in Edwards' already impressive songbook.

If you liked Failer, you're likely to have grabbed this record already without having heard a note. This record is essential listening for anyone interested in rock, folk, or country styles; even if you're not, give it a chance and you'll find some of the most emotionally resonant songwriting, singing and playing around.

At first I thought this album sounded too "same"--too much of one sound and not enough variety to carry an entire CD. Over time, though, this record has grown on me; if not Failer's equal, it's close, and Kathleen has definitely stepped out of the shadow of Lucinda Williams and into a place her unique voice makes possible for her and few others.

The album starts very strong with back to back rockers, then suffers its only missteps with "Pink Emerson Radio" and the too-precious "Independent Thief." Press on, listener! The weary tales of "Old Time Sake" and the hopeful "Summerlong" get things moving again, "What Are You Waiting For?" is a rollicking taunt, and "Away" is a beauty of a ballad.

This album features an incredibly strong closing trifecta. Leading off with the only non-Edwards song on the album, "Somewhere Else," we move to the record's standout, "Copied Keys," which finds Kathleen musing on the pain of moving to a new place for love and feeling like a tagalong to someone else's life, backed by a trembling guitar that somehow fits the emotions of the song perfectly. Closer "Good Things" sounds upbeat and carries a positive message, but ends the album with a broken heart.

If you haven't listened to Edwards before, buy this or Failer and try her out. And if you liked Failer, you'll like this, too. Give it a little time to grow on you!

Kathleen Edwards is releasing here a fantastic new CD with many deeply felt honest and explored feelings, well sung and drawn out as if it were a collage of raw and candid emotion on a canvass that results in an awesome and exquisite new album! People point out that Kathleen uses combinations of folk music, country and rock to do all this-and they are right.

The CD starts off strong with the track entitled "In State." This is then followed by the very self-assured title track "Back To Me." Wow, this title track is powerful! I love these great lyrics: "I've got ways to make you sing my songs/Ones I ain't written yet/I've got lights you've never seen/I've got moves I've never used/I've got ways to make you come/Back to me." The musical arrangement here is strong to support her statement and it is equally well written. At the other end of the spectrum are two songs, "Independent Thief," and "Away" deal with incredible heartache and deeply wounded feelings.

Edwards is supremely talented; I own all her CDs (there's a third "live" CD already out even though Amazon and others sometimes mistake this for a "sophomore" CD). Kathleen's voice always feels so welcome and beautiful to my ears, just like that of a special confidant I can really trust. Her honestly, raw emotion, natural power and compelling spirit always make for a superb album. I ache for more from this woman and this CD will hook you for sure! The quality of the sound is great so you can really hear how well Kathleen emotes to her audience. On this CD Kathleen truly reaches out as she has before. I find her to be refreshingly honest about what are actually common human emotions and experiences on this CD. This is a great CD to get if you're new to Edwards' work-and a must have if you're already a fan like I am!

I personally have never really understood the comparisons to Lucinda Williams. They both have "rough" voices but Edwards' is grunge to Willaims Blues' and sweet to Williams' sandpaper. As a writer she could more accurately be called a less image oriented Tift Merritt, who is a far more accurate soul sister. Both women deal with the ins and outs of losing and finding yourself in a relationship while trying to sort out the complexities of youth. Lucinda Williams has a certainty of self that neither of these two women attempts.
The biggest problem with Edwards' debut album, Failer was the prevelance of grunge guitars which tended to drown out her sweet soprano voice. However, this album managed to find its way around that problem with better production, a stronger voice and a much more stripped instrumental sound. The first of these solutions is represented by In State, a song that serves as a prequel to "6 O'Clock News," but in which the producer definately prsently her vocals in a much different and more pleasing manner. The second is showcased by a stunning vocal performance in "Independant Theif" which finds Edward's stomping and snorting in rare form. However, it is the final solution that makes up most of the album, and which makes the album so wonderful. No longer hidden behind the grungy riffs of "Maria" Edwards is able to find new emotional nuances on songs like Summerlong and Good Things.
A step forward in maturity and musicality, Kathleen Edwards managed to avoid the Sophomore Slump by improving on an already standout debut album

It's not really the blinding spell of Kathleen Edwards' recent "Austin City Limits" appearance that I remember the most about "Back To Me," her second recording. No, it's something about how Edwards' sound so closely jibes with how it feels to be in the country. Say you're out around Amarillo, watching the rim of Palo Duro Canyon saw at the horizon just off your left shoulder. It's a summer day, and you have the windows rolled down because you have to. You see breezes undulating the grass, and there's a quiet almost everywhere, even in how the hot sun hits the flanks of rusty billboard towers. You know the colors are changing because it's sunset, but not quite. When I heard Edwards singing on the television that first night, about a dozen country rides through the grand prairie came right back at me.

While almost all the lazy writers in the music business have compared Edwards to Lucinda Williams because it's an abbreviated way to highlight similarities they share--a girl's beauty, an edgy toughness and, of course, electric guitars--neither songwriter quite deserves it. Edwards' output has an organic quality Williams simply can't touch. You'll hear sharp distinctions between guitar and bass, for instance, whenever and wherever Williams plays. Edwards, though, manages to blur instrumental lines until the mix is whole and even intimate, giving "Back To Me" an almost nostalgic flavor reminiscent of some of the best progressive country and folk rock soundscapes of the 1970s. Jackson Browne's "Late For The Sky" may come to mind should listeners find themselves in some of Edwards' lonelier spaces.

Edwards also carries a soft voice through several hard tunes. That's not easy to do. "In State" is where she chews out some guy for acting a little too cavalier, for trying to grease his wheels too liberally, and like any woman worth the trouble, Edwards slices off the choice words even the toughest buzzards are loath to hear: "You wouldn't even be yourself if you wern't telling a lie." It wouldn't hurt so much if her voice wasn't so pretty.

And "Pink Emerson Radio"? That one sent a wind blowing through the drapes of a certain past I barely remember and right up my spine. I've been in old houses just like the song sounds. I've caught girlfriends, too, when they're alone and contemplating little trinkets that mean so much to them, many of which, of course, had nothing at all to do with me. But it's alright. I've treasured a couple of things.

Strong lyrics, never forced or trite, build through every song--without any of the flashiness or ostentatiousness some of the more "Nashvillian" rockers push on their crowds because the authenticity didn't come through when it was supposed to. Moods change, in an Edwards song, the band sometimes kicks in like a rattling freight train just starting to move, heavy on a trestle, but always because Edwards obviously has been allowed to remain close to her music, and to the sound in her head. Far too much music in today's declining sales climate has been drained of such qualities. Edwards, however, is part of a quietly growing movement which may eventually inject a little reality into a country music world that's starting to flirt with the emblems of hip-hop of all things. But the bling of Kathleen Edwards is in her heart. Even if she's not from Texas. God bless her.

This album isn't the babe at the party that all the guys flock around. This album is the cute girl in plain dress and no make-up that you ask out when you finally realize you've been having a great time talking with her for the last two hours. Solid but unflashy musicianship supports songs that are personal in their specifics, but universal in their feel. Mostly just electric and acoustic guitars, bass, drums, they stay out of the way, letting Edwards' breathy voice carry the melodies that you will find yourself humming days later. If you like fist-pumping anthems, you will be bored with this album. If your idea of a first date is going clubbing until 3 a.m., don't come here. But if your idea of a first date is sitting in a coffee shop talking for hours, then here's your coffee shop.

Her debut album FAILER had one of the odder album titles of recent times, but it was also one of the best of 2003. And now Canadian alt-country-rocker Kathleen Edwards has come roaring back with her sophomore album BACK TO ME, rocking just as much as she did on FAILER, and with a few acoustic country touches thrown in.

In every way imaginable, Kathleen is the exact polar opposite of current Canadian country icon Shania Twain (or even Terri Clark, for that matter) in that while her basic sound might be right for country in many areas (particularly on "Away"), her lyrics and song structure are liable to go over the heads of not only country radio programmers but also audiences themselves. And on one track, "What Are You Waiting For?", Kathleen lets fly with an F-bomb, which would basically guarantee no radio airplay. Not that it matters, since there are plenty of people out there looking for something beyond the political correctness that has so infected country music these days. The rough-hewn sound of BACK TO ME, helped out by her husband and producer Colin Cripps, with help from Tom Petty's keyboard man Benmont Tench, makes for a worthy follow-up to FAILER. It may not have the same punch, in terms of sophomore albums, that Tift Merritt's TAMBOURINE had, but it has punch nevertheless, and here's hoping this vaults Kathleen into major league status in short order.

A lot of people already said a lot of things about Back to Me, so I'm not going to get too cute here.

I just can't understand why Edwards isn't more well-known at this point. Failer was a near-perfect debut, with a bunch of catchy melodies and interesting lyrics. Back to Me builds off of that foundation, with maybe less catchy hooks but a beauty that reveals itself over time. What else does Edwards need to do? She gets your interest, then opens up a little with her second album.

I did see the title track on CMT or whatever the other day. I'm not a country fan, at least, not what they play on CMT. Kathleen Edwards just blows all of those hicks out of the water. Maybe that's her problem, if you can call it a problem. Her music isn't that poppy, cliched drek that's ruled country radio over the last 10 years. Her style more closely parallels Neil Young than poseurs like Shania Twain, which is cool in my book.

Can't wait for the next one.

To read all of this review or many more like it check out my music review blog @ http://twowaymonologues.blogspot.com

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.

.....

"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 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

As soon as I played Kathleen Edwards' debut album "Failer" I was hooked on her music. After some time, her new album "Back To Me" is finally out in stores and I have to say that it is a worthy successor. Her lyrics are deep and thought-provoking, and the album has a nice flow to it. Some of the material kind of reminds me of early Sheryl Crow when some of her songs had a hint of a country influence. The point is that this is a great album filled with great songs. To really get it, it's likely best to play it a few times. Believe me, you will be rewarded for doing so. I saw her on Letterman a few nights ago and her performance was awesome. It only confirmed that she is someone to keep an eye on because I believe she will be around for a long while. So do yourself a favour and purchase this album and support a wonderful artist who truly deserves to make it big.