Kathleen Edwards

The rural routes Kathleen Edwards explored on her 2003 debut Failer were drastically different than the dusty scenes explored by like-minded souls Lucinda Williams or Tift Merritt. Colored by the harsh winters and customs (read: hockey) of Edwards' native Ontario, Canada, her tales of spunky women, no-good men and broken relationships possessed a particularly intoxicating sense of isolation and resignation. That universal desolation has always resulted in Edwards' best work; "Copied Keys," from 2005's Back to Me, describes the sacrifices made when a person moves a great distance for love. Her gorgeous new album Asking for Flowers — like previous releases, a gentle amalgamation of pedal-steel twang, jaunty folk-pop and sharp lyrical ruminations — resonates most on its title track. Mellow Hammond organ and Neil Young-esque guitar hurricanes collide, mirroring the narrator's distress at the realities of a crumbling relationship.