2005/04/18  King Tuts Wah Wah Hut; Glasgow, UK hands up those of you who have turned up for a gig and the star turn, whose songs can be mournful and kinda on the woe-is-me wing of the musical party, approaches the mic and chuckles her way through two false starts? not many, didn't think so. kathleen edwards got hit by the glasgow giggles as she fiddled with the mic stand to get it to the height she wanted and the smiles continued all through this hot set when it's easy to understand just why this singer/song-writing canadian is building up a growing following. she rocks her way through a storming show firing off songs quicker than promises from vote-seeking politicians. she mixes and matches tracks from both her debut album "failer" and latest release "back to me" with great confidence encouraged by her excellent band and an enthusiastic audience. admittedly, a lot of the songs do sound a bit similar and her vocals occasionally are slightly lost in the rockier offerings but there are moments, such as during the "six o'clock news" and "what are you waiting for?" and "in state" when everything comes together to produce country-rock with added honky tonk at its best. these are head-on, foot-stomping crowd pleaser moments that kathleen and the musicians clearly relish, too. colin cripps' lead guitar is tight and fiery, kevin mcgarragher's bass persuasive, joel anderson's drumming solid and driving while jim bryson adds eloquent keyboards and guitars - and another good thing about these guys is that they never try to mount a takeover or muscle the spotlight away from the chirpy female in their midst. she leads, they support really well. more mellow numbers such as "away," "mercury is rising" and "pink emerson radio" highlight perfectly kathleen's life-on-the-road, slightly husky voice. the band gives her space when the songs need it but they quickly and subtly add bulk as required, it's a good set up. she's got a good opening catalogue for her act at the moment and it will be interesting to see how she develops as a writer of what are essentially uncomplicated but, nevertheless, enjoyable songs based on experiences. obviously, her next sojourn into the recording studios will be keenly watched but we should also remember she's only 26, her two albums to date do have some gems and her live performances make for a good night with a few pints.   she's smiley, relaxed, in control and forever altering her hairstyle - flowing for the hard-driven stuff, mostly tied back for the softer sequences, or is it the other way round. to some she'll never shake off comparisons with lucinda williams - if i never shook off comparisons with hemingway, would i care? the knowledgeable king tut's crowd certainly appreciates tonight's shift as she offers a total of 17 tracks - with not a dud among them. from giggles at the outset she shows she's also got a steely enough edge at the end. with a smile she ignores shouted "requests" and brings proceedings to a close with a cover of fellow canadian neil young's "unknown legend."  whether she'll ever clock up the same number of albums as ny remains to be seen, but you have to say she's off to a good start. mike ritchie americana-uk.com				Album reviews Feature articles Interviews Show reviews