2009/02/14  Bronson Centre; Ottawa, ON Ottawa-born singer-songwriter Kathleen Edwards did not spend Valentine"s Day with her husband, guitarist Colin Cripps. He was on stage with Jim Cuddy at Massey Hall on Saturday, while she performed in front of a near-capacity hometown audience at Bronson Centre. Cripps did send roses, Edwards noted at one point, leading fans to whisper, 'Hey, was she asking for flowers?" Apparently not, but the story gave her the perfect intro for the title track to her latest disc, Asking For Flowers. Without her hubby beside her on stage, Edwards turned her affections on the crowd, immediately endearing herself by assuming everyone was single. "Who else would come for an hour and a half of depressing songs about breaking up on Valentine"s Day other than single people?" she said with a grin. "It"s okay because I"m single tonight, too. " Actually, a survey of the crowd showed mostly couples, representing a surprisingly wide range of ages, from those in their 20s and 30s to a few lovebirds probably in their 60s. Edwards" parents were among those in attendance. In a black pencil skirt, purple blouse and motorcycle-type booats, her hair loose and curly, Edwards appeared as part of a trio, with fellow Ottawa singer-songwriter Jim Bryson on keyboards, guitars and vocals, and guitarist Greg Tough filling in for Cripps. While the stripped-down configuration requires more effort from an artist, Edwards has never been one to back down from a challenge. Sure enough, she gave a terrific performance. At 30, her husky voice seems to resonate with decades of life experience, and her guitar playing keeps getting better. In the dark auditorium, two of Edwards" most haunting songs, Buffalo and In State, started things off, creating a swell of musical intensity that carried through Asking For Flowers, Copied Keys and Summerlong. Bryson helped to layer the music with his instrumental textures and harmony vocals, and Tough supplied the mesmerizing slide guitar. When she came up for a breath, Edwards confessed to being a bit nervous facing such a quiet audience. Then her flirting instinct kicked in. After joking that she should pass a bottle of Scotch around the no-alcohol venue, she chatted about dressing up for the occasion, where she bought her new skirt and the type of underwear required to wear it. Typically, her banter was punctuated by casual use of the f-word. Flirting and cursing aside, one of the evening"s highlights was I Make the Dough, You Get The Glory, a light-hearted tribute to her dear friend and mentor, Bryson. He followed it up with a funny response song, You Got the Diamonds and I Got The Shaft, written by Andy Swan, and you could see Edwards working to curb her giggles. Impressively, she reigned it in to deliver a powerful solo-acoustic performance of Sure As Shit, dedicating it to those with loved ones serving in Afghanistan. Also riveting was Run, made even more poignant by her stellar electric guitar work. The setlist also included the crowd faves Six O"Clock News, Cheapest Key and Back To Me. In the end, Edwards was able to charm her way into everyone"s heart with her engaging personality, talented bandmates and a selection of old and new tunes, including at least one unreleased track, Chameleon. But the most heartfelt moment was the final song, a unabashedly cheesy version of Neil Young"s Only Love Can Break Your Heart. As she sang, Edwards" parents waltzed on the floor in front of the stage, while Bryson slow-danced on stage with his wife, their baby daughter asleep in her mother's arms. Lynn Saxberg The Ottawa Citizen				Album reviews Feature articles Interviews Show reviews