Edwards shows promise, but not greatness - yet

The references to Neil Young and Crazy Horse pepper the press material for Kathleen Edwards' debut album, Failer. It seems Zoe Records wants desperately to connect its 24-year-old chanteuse to Young, one of the godfathers of the singer-songwriter genre who has become both endearing and hackneyed. But linking anyone, especially an untested artist like Edwards, to a (deservedly) hallowed icon like Young can be tricky. The comparison sets a practically unreachable standard, placing the bar so high that almost anything the new artist releases turns out to be a letdown. While Failer is by no means a letdown, it doesn't really stand out among the multitudes of roots-rock-folkie types that have sprouted since Young, Gram Parsons and the handful of others who laid the groundwork 36 years ago. Compared to more established singer-songwriters like Fred Eaglesmith or Steve Earle or even Tracy Chapman, Edwards, at least in this early stage of her career, doesn't warrant such lofty comparisons. Edwards shows a great deal of promise and a great deal of talent. Just give her a little while to create her own niche.