You’re the Great One, I’m Marty McSorley

You don’t need to watch South Park for reasons to blame Canada, just look at their exports over the last couple years: Céline Dion, Pamela Anderson, Nickelback. These are reasons enough to revoke NAFTA. If American Karaoke and Paris Hilton have taught us anything is there are plenty of talentless Americans that we really don’t need to fleece any from our neighbors from the north. Okay so it hasn’t been all bad, there is Norm McDonald, but for every Neil Young, there seems to be ten Shania Twain’s.

Much like Twain, Kathleen Edwards is a Canadian who has co-opted the music of the American heartland on three studio album, Asking for Flowers being the latest. But unlike Twain, she hasn’t endeared herself to country radio by making heartfelt music as apposed to songs about tractors or ticks. Oh, Canada could be the Cunuck version of Born in the U.S.A. where the title would have you believe the title is more patriotic than the lyrics would have you believe which at its heart tackles racism, with a scorching guitar solo out the end that would make Neil Young proud.

Mr. Young would also be proud of Oil Man’s War about a pair that head north to keep from fighting under a commander and chief who seems to care more about lining the pockets of his friends than doing what is right. But where Edwards really excels is at quirky lyrics and things don’t get much quirkier than I Make the Dough, You Get the Glory where she compares herself to everyone from Elvis to Marty McSorley. A hockey reference: how Canadian, eh.

Song to Download - I Make the Dough, You Get the Glory

Asking for Flowers gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.