What are they putting in the water in Canada? The seemingly endless stream of female singer-songwriters door-stepping TLOBF Towers continues with Kathleen Edwards and her third album of alt-country/rock. Her brother’s collection of Bob and Neil was her sole resource as she grew up a diplomat’s daughter abroad, the first album she owned was by Tom Petty, and Ryan Adams has been a strong influence since his Whiskeytown days. You can sense a coming together of those sounds together with the honest and direct, even ballsy, lyrical approach of Ani DiFranco. She’s got alot going for her personally, plus she has managed to put together a classy line up of musicians previously associated with the likes of The Heartbreakers, Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Wilco, and Plant/Krauss (including husband and guitarist Colin Cripps). She co-produces with Jim Scott of Tom Petty and Whiskeytown fame. With that crew on board, quality arrangements and masterful playing are a given. More name-checking and shoulder-rubbing: Edwards has toured with Willie Nelson, Aimee Mann, My Morning Jacket, The Stones, AC/DC, Dylan, and Bryan Adams. Maybe that last one is some sort of hazing ritual for Canadian musicians, I’m not sure. Continue Reading