Audio Mixer: Jim Scott.

Recording information: Catherine North Studios; Home, British Columbia, Canada; Phase One Studios, Toronto, Ontario, British Columbia,; Plyrz Studios, Santa Clarita, CA; Woodshed.

Rootsy Canadian singer-songwriter Kathleen Edwards returns with the self-assured ASKING FOR FLOWERS, a solid country-rock set backed by an all-star band led by the Heartbreakers' Benmont Tench on keyboards and session star Greg Leisz on pedal steel. Written and produced by Edwards, the 11 songs feature a more outward focus, with a sharp political context on current events-themed songs like "Oh Canada" (not her national anthem, but a pointed response to the country's global behavior) and the scathing "Oil Man's War." These are interspersed among more familiar, personal songs like "Scared At Night" and "The Cheapest Key." Other highlights include the wry "I Make the Dough, You Get the Glory."