Kathleen Edwards Moved By Story Of Murdered Woman On New Album

02/14/08 6:00pm

by David McPherson (CHARTattack)

New friends and old complement Kathleen Edwards' sound on her most varied record to date, Asking For Flowers, which is set for release on March 4 by Zoe/Rounder Records.

Joined by the likes of keyboardist Benmont Tench (Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers) and fellow Canucks Justin Rutledge, Paul Reddick, Jim Bryson and husband Colin Cripps, the songwriter covers a lot of ground on her third record — from topical to political and sad to sarcastic.

"I'm less afraid of writing something or lyrically going to places I haven't necessarily gone yet," Edwards says over the phone from Columbus, Ohio. "I'm not sure why that is, but I just went with what felt right at the time."

"Alicia Ross" was one of these political, sad songs that "felt right." Edwards wrote it after finishing touring for her previous album, Back To Me. The story of the Toronto-area woman who was murdered by her neighbour was all over the news, and the story became stuck in the songwriter's head. Backed by a string quartet arranged by Kevin Fox, Edwards adopts Ross' persona and sings to her mother from beyond the grave, whispering: "Mama can you feel me as I drag on my day's last cigarette."

The sassy folk-rocker admits it took a lot of gin to finish writing the song and, even today, she finds it a hard topic to talk about.

"What really devastated me as a person outside looking in was to watch Alicia Ross' mother publicly beg for anybody to help her and her family find their child. I cannot imagine what my mother would go through for the rest of her life if something like that happened to me.

"While people outside Toronto won't really know the story of Alicia Ross, I don't think the song is only about her. It's also about every other mother who has lost a child. I know it's heavy and dark, but there is a bit of beauty in that in that there was such an intense connection between the love of a child and their mother."

All royalties from the song will be donated to Project Canoe, a charity for at-risk youth founded by Ross' parents.

Here are Edwards' Canadian tour dates:

March 14-15 Wakefield, QC @ Black Sheep Inn w/Royal Wood
March 19 Peterborough, ON @ Market Hall PAC w/Justin Rutledge
March 22 Hamilton, ON @ The West End w/Justin Rutledge
March 25 Kingston, ON @ Elixir w/Justin Rutledge
April 2 Montreal, QC @ Cabaret Du Musee Juste Pour Rire w/Justin Rutledge
April 23 Toronto, ON @ Phoenix w/Justin Rutledge