There are two kinds of people in this world: People who know that Kathleen Edwards is one of the most gifted singer-songwriters at the nexus of rock, folk, and Americana – and people who are missing out. Which type are you?
The Sweetwater in Mill Valley was only half full for Edwards’ show on Sunday night, but her faithful fans were treated to a tour de force performance. Her voice and songcraft resonated in a stripped-down set featuring Edwards on electric and acoustic guitars, accompanied only by guitarist Gord Tough and Thom Hammerton on keyboards. Her most familiar songs (including “Back to Me” from 2005, which got significant airplay on AOR radio in the US and Canada) tend to occupy a mellow but forceful rock space shared with Tom Petty, Lucinda Williams, and Sheryl Crow. With no drums or bass, this intimate show was an opportunity to focus on the resonance of Edwards’ not-quite-smoky vocal timbre and the tenderness and vibrancy of her lyrics.
Edwards wears her influences on her sleeve. She spoke to the audience about recording tracks this year with producer Jim Scott, touting his experience working on albums she reveres, including Car Wheels on a Gravel Road by Williams and Wildflowers by Petty. (Fun fact: Heartbreaker keyboardist Benmont Tench has made frequent appearances on Edwards’ albums.) The influence of those two FM radio stalwarts is obvious in Edwards’ own music, as are elements of Patty Griffin, Ryan Adams, and Gillian Welch. Fellow Canadians Neil Young and Robbie Robertson echo in the mix as well.
We’re lucky Edwards is still recording and touring. A decade ago, the singer took a break from the music world to open a coffee shop in Stittsville (a suburb of Ottawa) called Quitters. But she kept writing songs, and in 2020 she released Total Freedom. (Ironically, given the name, she sold Quitters a few years ago.)
Personal note: “Glenfern,” the opening track on the album and the show opener on Sunday night, has been in constant rotation in my Spotify playlists for four years now. Probably one of my top five songs played over this stretch. Call me a fan.
Most of the songs Edwards played at The Sweetwater were originals, but she threw in a sweet and sad version of John Prine’s “Hello in There.” Another cover, Petty’s “Crawling Back to You” (recently released as a single), closed the show. Edwards is adept at rephrasing, making these songs shine with her own distinctive verve.
Still, it’s the songs from her own catalog that sparkle brightest. There were songs that flowed slowly by like a river of clear water, and songs that built energy like summer rain beating on a rooftop. Throughout the show, melodic guitar inflections by Tough and solos by both Tough and Hammerton helped to shape the flow and frame the arc of energy. (Tough has appeared on several of Edwards’ albums and has toured with her many times.) In front of it all – first among equals, we might say – Edwards’ storytelling and emotional delivery led the way.
She gave her accompanists a break midway through the set and flew solo on “Copied Keys,” one of only two songs she played on Sunday from her breakthrough 2005 album Back to Me.
Before bringing back Tough and Hammerton, opening act Ken Yates joined Edwards for a song they wrote together, “Burn The Cedar, Burn The Sage.”
The Sweetwater has a reputation for a talky crowd. That wasn’t the case at this show. The audience was wrapped around Edwards’ finger all night long. Her smile brightens up a dark room, and her voice gives hope and empowers confidence even when she sings about heartache and loss. The force of human connection is strong when Edwards is center stage.
The set ended with “Hard on Everyone” (also from Total Freedom) and “In State.” The latter has a hook that gives a taste of Edwards’ wry lyrical sensibility:
Don’t say you’ll change after the next time
You wouldn’t even be yourself if you weren’t telling a lie.
Another taste of Edwards’ ironic sensibility came when she returned for an encore. An audience member shouted, “You have a face like an angel and a mouth like a sailor.” Edwards responded in kind: “Thank you, that’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
Ken Yates, a fellow Canadian (he made that abundantly clear each time he spoke to the crowd), opened with a solo performance. His songs were soft and sincere. A worthy sample of his wordsmithing skills, from the title track of Yates’ soon-to-be-released album Total Cinema: “If I’m lucky, when I’m done, I’ll have an audience of one.”
He played mostly in open tunings on a Fender Jaguar guitar accented with mellow chorus and reverb effects. It’s worth noting that his banter during his frequent re-tunings was at least as good as his songs. For instance, he said that “Kathleen and I are here to be your emotional support Canadians for the night.” Later, he spoke of moving to London, ON, comparing that town to its namesake UK metropolis: “All the same street names, just way shittier.” He mentioned being a Toronto Raptor fan, and the respectful Bay Area audience let him get away with that with no heckling despite being in Golden State Warriors country. (Yeah, that’s right, I’m calling him out for that now.)
KATHLEEN EDWARDS SETLIST
Glenfern
Empty Threat
Change the Sheets
Birds on a Feeder
Who Rescued Who
Hello in There (John Prine cover)
Six O’Clock News
Copied Keys (Kathleen solo)
When the Truth Comes Out (Kathleen solo)
Burn The Cedar, Burn The Sage (with Ken Yates)
Asking For Flowers (with Ken Yates and band)
Mercury (with Ken Yates and band)
Hard on Everyone
In State
Encore:
Hockey Skates
Crawling Back to You (Tom Petty cover)
