New on CD: Kathleen Edwards won't be our secret much longer To all you Americans who still haven't forgiven us for what Shania Twain did to Nashville - here's Edmonton's Kathleen Edwards as a peace offering. She isn't as rich, flashy or eager to share her midriff, but she's next in line for 'national treasure' status over here and you're wise to snatch her while you can. If her first two albums weren't proof enough, "Asking For Flowers" seals the deal: 11 rugged, rootsy and often surprisingly raw songs that'll take you from the dimly-lit intimacy of Joni Mitchell to the spacious jamming of Crazy Horse. And unlike Shania, she's not big on the sappy stuff: "Don't write me off, here comes my softer side... and there it goes," she sings with maximum spite on 'The Cheapest Key." Like her American counterpart Lucinda Williams, Edwards isn't shy to show off her wounds. On the devastating title track, she wonders what she has to show for a long, lifeless relationship ("Don't tell me you're too tired / 10 years I've been working nights"), and then calls out Toronto on the sobering rocker "Oh Canada" ("It's not the lack of a sense / It's called ambivalence"). It's not an immediate grabber like her previous album ("Back to Me"), but "Asking For Flowers" is Edwards' third straight gem. That kind of hat trick won't go unnoticed for long. Rating: 4 out of 5 John Law niagarafallsreview.ca				Album reviews Feature articles Interviews Show reviews