Kathleen Edwards' storied life don't know if this'll come as a surprise to you, but following a brief, less than scientific (or comprehensive) study of the matter, it seems that there aren't so many who dedicate albums to their grandmothers. and while such slights might be easily explainable with regard to punk-rock dunderheads and whatnot, rootsy souls are supposed to be thoughtful and predisposed to such sensibilities. so, folkies, what's the problem between you and your grandmas? kathleen edwards has no such issues, and neither should you. her tribute to the memory of her namesake, "activist, farmer, writer, grandmother," is as nice as they come. although maybe it's easier to do when everybody says you're just like her. "as time goes by, i realize more and more that i'm really like my mother," edwards laughs, "but i was always told that i was kind of feisty and fiery and straight up the way my grandmother was. apparently it shows in my stubbornness and forthrightness." those are but a few of the qualities required for a tour of the united states' east coast during hurricane season; on the road there with richard buckner, the native of ottawa has seen two in the last month. but, if you're making the assumption that an artist's work is largely autobiographical, after listening to her cd, failer, one wonders what sort of a life a personality such as hers will get. on "mercury" she sings of the oh-so-suburban teen pastime of getting high in parking lots; during "hockey skates" she asks if a boys' club will come apart, "just because of a loudmouth girl"; and in the sure bet for a hit single, "one more song the radio won't like," there is the emily post-like reminder, "no one likes a girl who won't sober up." after first noting that such assumptions are not always appropriate, it's still worth asking, is edwards the loudmouth girl or the one who won't sober up? "sometimes i'm both, sometimes i'm neither," she says, though in this case, there's also a story... "'one more song the radio won't like' is about... i had finished this record and i was going through the process of playing a few showcases in toronto and learning how the game works; how to play it and get drowned and how to play it and keep your head above water. i went home and wrote [it] after one showcase where i was questioning my reasons for feeling like i had to impress people. it's a true song and i'm definitely the girl who won't sober up in that one." but, if these kinds of anti-biz sentiments are showing up in the second track on the very first album edwards has ever released, how does she rate her chances of forging a career for herself in it? "i think my idea of success is that i'm going to do what i wanna do and i'm the person who has the final say," she states resolutely. "i mean, ultimately, in a business where people are their own products, if they have the final say, then what's with the unhappiness if they're unhappy? "i have some great people working with me who have been through this before. i don't know if i'll be able to survive in this business, but i think i will because i think it comes down to the fact that i've got some great songs here and i'm a great performer. i love doing it. i've got another album of songs ready, so i think that i can make at least another great record. and i think i can do it without compromising my ideals about who i am and how i want to go about making music and making money at it." craig elliott seemagazine.com				Album reviews Feature articles Interviews Show reviews