2008/07/09  Ottawa Bluesfest; Ottawa, ON Top-notch band buoys Beach Boy Old tunes take on new musical weight, while hometown gal Kathleen Edwards shows why she's a hit ... Earlier in the evening, Ottawa's Kathleen Edwards treated a hometown audience to a great show. In case you're not up on her career, she's been doing well, with a recent appearance on Leno and a fine new album, Asking For Flowers, that's been shortlisted for this year's Polaris Prize. Her hair tied back, wearing a long black dress and oversized sunglasses, she looked like a movie star on the Rogers stage last night, and said she was dressed up to celebrate her last show of her 20s. (Edwards turns 30 tomorrow). The glamour soon gave way to reveal the same chatty, down-to-earth gal. "It's so nice to come home," she said, grinning that she recognized so many faces in the crowd. "I'm going to drop the rock-star horse sh-t and leave the sunglasses over there." Now able to make eye contact with her peeps, on stage and off, Edwards led her band through a wonderful performance that included album material as well as an unreleased gem, I Can't Give You Up, that featured her own measured hand on violin. Her friend and mentor Jim Bryson, the esteemed Ottawa singer-songwriter, was her right-hand man on stage, contributing keyboards, guitar and harmony vocals. He had a terrific show of his own earlier in the evening. Bryson is also the inspiration for Edwards' hockey-themed underground hit, I Make the Dough and You Get The Glory, Edwards reminded us. They had fun with that song, as well as Six O'Clock News and The Cheapest Key. Hockey Skates, on the other hand, is always a difficult tune for her in Ottawa, she said, because it reminds her of how far she's come since writing it. A newer song, Edwards' politically charged zinger Oh Canada, was the highlight of the set. Guitars blazing, hair flying in the wind, her voice resonating with ferocity, Edwards showed she is a rock star after all. Lynn Saxberg The Ottawa Citizen				Album reviews Feature articles Interviews Show reviews