Ottawa singer-songwriter Kathleen Edwards is set to perform a homecoming show at the Bronson Centre on Feb. 9, one of only two Canadian dates on her current North American headlining tour.
The concert will be in support of her recently-released album Voyageur, which has been lauded as her greatest work to date by fans and critics alike.
“I’m glad to see she’s getting more international coverage for this album than she did for her first album Failer, which is when Rolling Stone called her one of the artists to look out for,” says Matty McGovern, owner of The Record Shaap.
McGovern has been involved with Ottawa's music scene since the age of 15.
He says there’s definitely been a lot of buzz surrounding the new album.
“Based on my experiences at various record stores in the city, there’s been more people interested locally in this release – a lot more phone calls and inquiries leading up to it,” says McGovern. “Part of it is having Justin Vernon associated – that will get you more buzz after the year he just had.”
Vernon is the frontman for folk band Bon Iver, whose self-titled album released last year garnered four Grammy nominations and a cult following. He is now Edwards’ new partner musically and romantically, having co-produced Voyageur.
Edwards began recording Voyageur in August 2010, just months before her divorce. Determined to write an album that was more “indie rock” and less “American rock,” she enlisted the help of Vernon and they soon began recording in his home studio.
The end product is raw and honest, with a very intimate and naked side revealed as she sings about her last marriage falling apart. It dares to be more musically-diverse, with the help of Vernon shaping a sound that is more atmospheric and vulnerable.
Comparing the new album to Feist’s hugely successful album Let it Die in 2004, Ottawa Citizen arts and entertainment editor Peter Simpson suggests this might be the push she needs to become a global star like Feist.
Simpson says if the album catches on commercially, 2012 can be Edwards’ year to have her audience and fame “explode.”
If the anticipation for Edwards’ upcoming show in Ottawa is any indication, Simpson might just be right.
“We’ve already run out of the first batch of tickets and we’re almost done with the second batch which we got a couple days ago,” says Brendan Allistone, retail manager at the Ottawa Folklore Centre. “She’s definitely got the scene interest – we’re getting a lot of phone calls asking if we have tickets left.”
Allistone says he’s ecstatic to see Ottawa artists make it big beyond the local scene. He compares Edwards’ success to that of Dan Mangan, an indie folk-rock singer-songwriter from Vancouver.
Although there’s been a lot of praise for the new album and tickets for her upcoming show have been in high demand, McGovern does admit the buzz has not translated into sales at his record shop.
“It’s weird because lots of people are expressing interest in the new album and the involvement of Justin Vernon, but The Record Shaap hasn’t actually sold too many copies,” says McGovern. “I don’t think it’s anything to be worried about though – we’re still waiting on the vinyl copies to come in and once they do, I assume they’ll sell like crazy.”