Kathleen Edwards Billionaire
Before you get the wrong impression, the title of Kathleen Edwards’ new album, Billionaire, isn’t a Tyler Childers-ish brag on newfound wealth. It’s actually inspired by a rare moment of unguarded sentiment from the Canadian singer-songwriter who’s spent most of this century in the alt-country business (and, perhaps just as importantly, a decade largely away from it). After spending a chunk of that time “off” running the perfectly named Quitters Coffee in Ottawa, Edwards returned to the music scene with the excellent Total Freedom in 2020 and, following a covers album (titled, uhm, Covers) earlier this year, she’s back with my favorite record of hers since Failer, her 2002 debut.
When I say that her sentiment on Billionaire is “rare,” it’s not because Edwards writes with a lack of feeling – it’s because those emotions are often etched with a very sharp pen. Her wit is borne out on the album’s first song, “Save Your Soul,” and it might well be directed toward actual billionaires. The heartland rocker is dripping with the kind of dark vinegar left over from a cheap coffee maker clean-out – “Line your pockets with gold…Who’s gonna save your soul/When your money’s no good.” Punctuating the song is a stabbing guitar solo from Jason Isbell, who co-produced the album with Gena Johnson and enlisted much of his 400 Unit to back Edwards. Also on the first side of the album is one of my favorite songs this year. “Say Goodbye, Tell No One” is a synth-and-celeste 80s throwback that would’ve felt right at home on the Miami Vice movie soundtrack. Lyrically, it’s a caustic kiss-off full of unfortunate realities – “The hardest part about the truth/Saying something that might hurt you/The hardest part about a lie/You can’t outrun it if you try.” Honesty is paramount in Edwards’ mind – the Petty-ish “When The Truth Comes Out” addresses kings, queens and our cultural history of bullshitting – “Back when they sailed across the ocean blue/Trying to find something perfect/Magic wild and cool/You wouldn’t believe it” (bonus on these last two songs – having Shelby Lynne and Allison Moorer chip in vocals and joining Edwards and Isbell in a sort of Ottawa-to-Alabama alt-country all-star team).
So, about that unabashed sentiment…it actually shows up in a few places on Billionaire. “Little Red Ranger” portrays the story of a young Canadian leaving home to make his fortune in LA, but also of the family he left behind – “Someday soon you’re gonna call home to tell us/That you’re gonna stay.” True to historic form, Edwards also throws in a hockey barb – “Live by the ocean, have a beautiful life/The Leafs still suck at playoff time.” The album’s title cut, though, has Edwards putting aside that sharp pen in exchange for emotional openness and appreciation, both of a person who fully lives life – “There are a million pictures living in your phone/The history of your smile/Everywhere you went is just living somewhere in a cloud” – but also how to reckon with that person’s loss: “Grief is love, that makes sense/Except for those of us still left/To figure out what to do/At night with all these thoughts of you.” The song features strings among the typical musical cues, but it’s Edwards’ voice here – the prettiest singing she’s put to record – that really captures the emotion she wants to convey. As talented and deft as a songwriter as she’s always been, it’s her first gift that makes this song special. Thank you, Kathleen Edwards, for not (permanently) quitting.
Song I Can’t Wait to Hear Live: “Need A Ride” – Edwards has a damn list of the ways we mistreat each other. Bad news – you’re probably on it. Good news – the guitar and organ coda will help it go down a little more easily.
Billionaire was produced by Gena Johnson and Jason Isbell, engineered and mixed by Johnson (assistant engineer – Joanna Finley) and mastered by Pete Lyman. All songs written by Kathleen Edwards (co-writes go to Ken Yates and Dan Wilson). Musicians on the album include Edwards (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, claps), Isbell (electric guitar, acoustic guitar, keys, synth, background vocals), Johnson (piano, background vocals, claps), Anna Butterss (bass), Chad Gamble (drums, percussion), Jen Gunderman (piano, celeste, Hammond B3 Organ, Wurlitzer, claps), Shelby Lynne (background vocals), Allison Moorer (background vocals), Annie Clements (bass, claps), Matt Sucich (background vocals), Rob Moose (violin, viola, string arrangement and engineering), Corrina Grant Gill (background vocals) and Dave Brown (claps).
Go here to order Billionaire (out August 22): https://www.dualtonestore.com/collections/kathleen-edwards
Check out tour dates here: https://www.kathleenedwards.com/tour
Enjoy our previous coverage here: REVIEW: Kathleen Edwards “Dogs & Alcohol”