Kathleen Edwards and her Canadian Style

On February 23, I had the pleasure of seeing Kathleen Edwards perform at the intimate McGlohon Theater in Charlotte. This venue, formerly a church sanctuary, is where I have seen a variety of performances such as Johnny Cash and Michelle Shocked as well as Allison Moorer and Steve Earle. Kathleen Edwards has put out three records of quality music in the Americana mode. Her most recent effort "Asking for Flowers" is by far her most diverse record that showcases the range of her songwriting ability. A song, "Goodnight, California" has grabbed me with its almost desolate tone lamenting a foregone relationship. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_753bEATQI What I like about this song, and what also came through in the performance is that I see it almost as a requiem to "Like a Hurricane", the seminal jam by Neil Young. In fact, a lot about Kathleen Edwards' style reminds me of Neil Young. This should not be surprising as she hails from the same region as Young albeit from a different generation, perhaps by two. A beautiful voice and playing of instruments, a connection with the audience and heartfelt lyrics and musicianship made this a wonderful evening. Opener "Last Town Chorus", actually a one woman show by Megan Hickey of Brooklyn, was an intriguing performance on lap steel featuring a Bowie song slowed down which was apparently featured on Gray's Anatomy. Another worthwhile performance. Check my youtube link for some more tunes from Kathleen Edwards and the Last Town Chorus. http://www.youtube.com/nosyfieldstone