"That narrative quality lies in her rose-colored vocal resonance on the chorus of "Little Red Ranger," where she reunites with an Ontarian childhood friend who moved to Los Angeles, and in the way her natural vibrato curves toward nostalgia on "FLA," a lively paean to the Sunshine State in which a trip south transports her to younger days, when music was still a dream."
"Edwards' voice climbs the chorus like a creeping vine seeking the memory of sunlight: "If this feeling/Were a currency/I would be/A billionaire," she sings, tiptoeing over the initial phrasing before releasing herself into the declaration."
Somewhere on the tour supporting her 2012 album, Kathleen Edwards sang herself ragged and strained her natural vocal talent under relentless performance pace. She canceled shows after a period she called "a horrible episode" and followed medical advice to stop "gripping so hard every night." Edwards put music down for nearly a decade and returned with the poised Total Freedom in 2020. On the follow-up, Billionaire, her voice opens wide: a polished update of rough-edged alt-country and folk rock that elevates storytelling, reveals characters through subtle inflection, and channels nostalgia and emotional legacy with newfound power.
Read at Pitchfork
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