Next wave - 10 to watch New artists who will make your world a better place in 2003, from the series that introduced you to The White Stripes, John Mayer and Norah Jones... Kathleen Edwards Who: A twenty-four-year-old singer-songwriter from Ottawa, with a voice full of country longing and songs populated with unhappy barflies Sound: Edwards' debut, Failer, has people comparing her forthright, emotionally raw songs of despair and dissipation to those of Lucinda Williams. While Edwards says she's flattered, she's also puzzled: 'There's a writer in Toronto who insists I must have five copies of every Lucinda record, but the only one I actually own is Essence. The comparison is a real compliment, but I think it's because my voice reminds people of her. To be truthful, Aimee Mann is a much bigger influence on me." What's with all the drunks in your songs? "It's not exactly like I wanted to write a song that mentioned booze in it every time," says Edwards, whose libation of choice is Maker's Mark bourbon. "But drinking was a prominent outlet for the people I was hanging out with when I recorded the album. I'd say about half the bar-life stuff is observation, the other half is personal." The clincher: Edwards was hooked on showbiz after she set out in her 1988 Chevrolet Suburban to conquer Canada. "It was a stupid thing I did, I realize now," she says. "I slept in the truck a lot of nights. But it totally decided things for me." Look for: Failer, out now on Zoe records. Tom Moon Rolling Stone				Album reviews Feature articles Interviews Show reviews