As crazy as it may sound, Canada is hardly inferior to the United States when it comes to americana. The Band, consisting largely of Canadians, even formed the basis of this typical 'American' folk music in the seventies. Kathleen Edwards from Ottowa has been a rising star in the genre since 2003 and has since made a complete breakthrough in her own country. Almost immediately after the release of
… her fourth album Voyageur in January 2012, this CD climbed to a comfortable second place on the Canadian album charts. One of Voyageur's greatest achievements is Edwards' brand new love partner Justin Vernon, leader of the immensely popular folk group Bon Iver these days. Although he plays a lot on this album produced by him, his hand is not easily discernible. The ten songs are too clear from his girlfriend for that and the production is nowhere as inventive and compelling as that of Bon Iver. Edwards does, however, extend her status as an excellent Americana artist with this album and, given the commercial success, appears to be able to grow into Canada's own Ilse DeLange. (JE)more
