2009/02/10  Starlight Room; Waterloo, ON Kathleen Edwards plays Starlight The 2008 release has earned her a Juno nomination in the Adult Alternative Album of the Year category and was also shortlisted for the Canadian music Polaris Prize. When a live performance is done right, there's almost nothing better. And for one-and-a-half hours last night, alternative country singer-songwriter Kathleen Edwards commanded the crowd at Starlight, reminding everyone in the audience what is so inspiring about live music. Accompanied by her band of two and equipped with an acoustic guitar and harmonica, the Ottawa-born musician took to the stage and opened the performance with "Buffalo" the first song on her latest album, Asking For Flowers. The 2008 release has earned her a Juno nomination in the Adult Alternative Album of the Year category and was also shortlisted for the Canadian music Polaris Prize. Though currently on tour in the US and Canada promoting her latest album, the show was a mixture of new songs - including "Asking for Flowers", "Run" and the album's first single "I Make the Dough, You Get the Glory" - interspersed with tracks from her previous recordings. Describing her initial sound as "ass" after the first number - she suggested that her guitar was 'threatening a major mutiny" due to temperature change between the dressing room and the stage - the audience was not fazed. Edwards continued her set with her first single "Six O' Clock News" from her 2003 debut album Failer, laughing off the technical problems her guitar was giving her, suggesting that perhaps it was misbehaving because it was "premenstrual." With a variety of slower-paced, passionate numbers mixed with faster-tempo tap-your-foot-along tunes, Edwards captivated her crowd from beginning to end. The set featured two new songs that have yet to be released, which Edwards said she was testing out to gauge audience reaction. 'this feels like a good safe place to play possible turds for the first time," Edwards said before starting the soulful ballad "House Full of Empty Rooms". "It's a real happy one," she said sarcastically as she began. The enthusiastic response she received from the crowd for this number suggests that the new recordings Edwards puts out will sit well with her strong fan base. Though her music dominated the show, it was also interspersed with comedic anecdotes, which Edwards shared with the Waterloo concert-goers. Edwards told the story of her most recent trip across the American border in which her tour van was inspected by border patrol personnel, who questioned her authenticity as an artist - he had never heard of her; after all, she had never been on American Idol. "I'm more talented," Edwards offered, when questioned as to why. Oh, and "look at the fuckin passport, douche," she says she thought to herself. Getting out of the situation by noting that she had opened for the legendary Willie Nelson, she dedicated her next song "Are The Good Times Really Over" by legendary country artist Merle Haggard to the man who had caused her so much angst crossing into the States. 'this is for that country-loving, border-crossing mother fucker." Following this, Edwards continued the country-infused vibe, and a then went electric to perform her latest single "Cheapest Key". In this number, Edwards showed her sheer skill as she dominated the guitar, harmonica and vocals. After initially closing with the title track of her 2003 album Back To Me, Edwards returned for a four-song encore, which included an invited request from the audience, "Goodnight California". The night almost ended with the Outfields cover "Your Love" - she shared that she typically ends her performances on an upbeat note - but last night it was not so. "Since it's Tuesday we'll do a little quieter end of the evening," said Edwards, closing with "Scared At Night", an emotional number she wrote about being with her grandmother as she passed away. Whether rocking out with her bandmates or sitting alone with her acoustic, last night Edwards was able to captivate the crowd, soliciting her credibility as one of Canada's most talented musicians. Laura Carlson The Cord Weekly				Album reviews Feature articles Interviews Show reviews