Published on May 7, 2004
Critics aren’t nice when it comes to album titles. Hell, look at
Michael Jackson’s
Invincible; most rock critics built their review around
dissing the title. That said, much credit needs to be given to
Canadian singer/songwriter Kathleen Edwards for naming her debut
album
Failer.
Other than the title,
Failer is fairly critic-proof. It has that Neil
Young/Lucinda Williams-type of alt-country sound that many
journalists are currently swooning over, Edward’s voice has a
battered maturity that’s beyond her youth (she was 23 when Failer
was recorded) and it’s ambitious enough to merit repeat listens. In
interviews, Edwards compares herself more to Aimee Mann than
Lucinda Williams. But her weary voice immediate draws comparisons
to Williams.
“Hockey Skates” is getting some decent rotation in some markets.
Set in a backdrop of a depressed town, the protagonist is in a
crappy relationship. You can almost see the broken stools at the
bar the way she paints the scene. However, she overreaches in the
metaphor department with lines like “I am tired of playing defense
/ I don’t even have hockey skates” — which she unfortunately
repeats.
Lyrically, Edwards sticks to portraits of people on the losing
edge of life. And though
Failer may spend the majority of its time on the dark side,
uptempo tracks like “Six O’ Clock News” and “The Lone Wolf” add
some much-needed variety. She wisely saves her best song for the
last track. “Sweet Little Duck” is perhaps the saddest song I’ve
heard in the past two years.
Dismissing
Failer as “another alt-country” album is a disservice to
anyone who picks this album up. Her voice and lyrical potential
merit her place in
Rolling Stone‘s new artists to watch article. It may not
shake the ground like a classic debut album is supposed to, but its
subtle rewards pay off big time.