Kathleen Edwards Kathleen Edwards may be "asking for flowers" on her new record, but with two critically acclaimed discs behind her (Failer and Back to Me), the sassy singer-songwriter certainly doesn't need to earn anyone's respect. After three years away from the rigors of the road, she's ready to "get out of the house," and 'tour her ass off" behind Asking for Flowers - her most topical and touching record yet, released on Zoë/Rounder Records on March 4 and recorded with Jim Scott at Plyrz studios in Los Angeles. I catch up with Edwards in Columbus, Ohio, where she's doing some pre-release publicity. The songwriter is reacquainting herself with the white line and hotel rooms. While three years away is a long time off the road, she's looking forward to "having fun, meeting people and drinking bourbon on the bus." Edwards needed a break following the hectic few years that saw a Canadian tour, an Australian tour and Europe; and shared the stage with the likes of the Rolling Stones (SARSstock) and Neil Young (Farm Aid). She used this time off to buy a Heintzman piano and learn how to play it, work at a winery, garden a lot and sing on a few friends' records, including John Doe's "Golden State." "I had a lot of time at home to get some perspective on the things that have happened to me in the last five years," she says. From heavy and haunting songs ("Scared at Night," "Alicia Ross") that make a lasting memory on your brain to fun, sarcastic folk-rock romps ('The Cheapest Key" and "I Make the Dough, You Get the Glory"), on Asking for Flowers, Edwards has penned the strongest and most storied songs of her career. 'The Cheapest Key," is a two-and-a-half minute riotous ride, which Edwards says was 'The most fun song" she's ever recorded. "I've finally been able to write a song that is Beatles' length," she says. "I always go on and on and sometimes find it hard to close the door on a song, but that song came so easily." In this punchy song, Edwards rhymes through the alphabet, spewing out what each letter stands for: "...B is for bullshit and you fed me some...F is my favourite letter as you know..." This reference to the sixth letter of the alphabet is not lost on those who know Edwards. She says she couldn't stop grinning as she sang that line. "I laughed out loud saying that over and over." While Edwards met her goal of recording a short-spirited song, she didn't limit herself to this style-pushing her muse even further, which is evident on the epic "Goodnight, California" that closes the record. "I wanted to finally have the courage to record a song that was more than six minutes long that was not about 'we got to wrap this up, where's the solo, and where's the verse and where's the chorus,'" she says. "I had these musical landscapes in my mind and I wanted to record them. 'Goodnight California' is one of those songs I believe in years to come will be one of my favorites." David McPherson americansongwriter.com				Album reviews Feature articles Interviews Show reviews