North Country Girl: Kathleen Edwards You could listen to Alanis, Joni or Rush for hours and hardly suspect they all hailed from Canada. But give Kathleen Edwards' latest CD, "Asking for Flowers," a spin and the references to the Great White North come at you like a blizzard. Here, the Ontario-bred alt-country rocker takes the old adage "Write what you know" to heart. "I'm not trying to be overtly Canadian, but it's basically where I live and where I was born," she explains. "All my close friends are pretty much Canadian. So I think it's kind of inevitable that all these cultural things kind of penetrate my brain." Edwards' previous effort, 2003's "Failer," was buoyed by the song "Hockey Skates." This time around, one of her most powerful new songs is called "Alicia Ross," and it bluntly tells of the life and murder of the Ontario woman. "Oh Canada," is a bittersweet anti-anthem. The catchy "I Make the Dough, You Get the Glory" references disgraced hockey player Marty McSorley. Look it up. Her fans did. "I'm actually impressed how much people seek out the references," Edwards says. "Marty McSorley is one of those weird obscure hockey things. I actually did a Wikipedia [search] on Marty McSorley last night, and on his page is the reference to my song. I'm like 'Oh, my God! That's awesome!'" When Edwards plays locally, at the Rams Head on Thursday and on Monday at the Birchmere, she'll be showing off the new songs, which she says are a step up for her. 'The songs, to me feel, more complete, so in a sense maybe that makes it more of a folkie record," she explains. 'The songs are a lot more thought-out. Before, I think, it was the energy of a five-piece rock 'n' roll band that was the driving force." Edwards' gutsy vocal style gets so much attention that few people realize she's classically trained. "My violin training allowed me to hear melodies and harmonies, and gave me an idea of pitch," she says. "I had a lot of theory lessons, and I think that made me appreciate the commitment and discipline that's required to play an instrument really well." Tony Sclafani Express				Album reviews Feature articles Interviews Show reviews