NICOLE EDWARDS plays a brunch concert at Hugh’s Room on Sunday (April 17). See listing. Rating: NNN
On her fifth independent album, smoky-voiced Nicole Edwards delivers funky, upbeat R&B tunes fit for getting down with on the grass. The Yukon singer has moved through folk rock and jazz and is now knee-deep in blues, funk and soul.
Autoimmune disease scleroderma forced Edwards into a two-year sabbatical leading up to 2005’s Joy Seeker and left her unable to play her instruments. But with the exception of More Than A Diagnosis Blues, the lyrics focus on flower-power political idealism, love and sex.
Heavy funk and soul sounds kick off the album (Can You See The Beauty, Salty Thoughts), while Grumpy Pants gets down with organ and shredding. Edwards is truly endearing on cheeky duet Two Kinds Of Pie (with bluesy stride piano) and pre-nup chat What Do You Do With Your Fire?
Top track: Two Kinds Of Pie
