Although she studied classical violin in her youth, Canadian singer Kathleen Edwards eventually became more inspired by the records of singer / songwriters such as Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Neil Young. The string arrangements are still written and performed by herself. Her debut album Failer put her in the premier league of Americana in one fell swoop; with the successor Back To Me she knows how to
… perpetuate that position with ease. The production is completely contemporary, the voice and the songs have the timeless class of a thoroughbred artist. The lyrics also lack the stale clichés of much roots music. A folk song with a clear reference to the internet - like the phrase: 'do you check your mail?' - did not yet exist. The mix of country and rock that she advocates sometimes results in a neither meat nor fish product. Kathleen Edwards knows how to avoid this trap and offers a good alternative for the modern country lover who Shania Twain is too smooth and Lucinda Williams too whiny. (MS)more
