Music Review: Kathleen Edwards is back with 'Total Freedom'

Kathleen Edwards, 'œTotal Freedom'ť (Dualtone)

Kathleen Edwards' first studio album since 2012, 'œTotal Freedom,'ť is the sound of an artist with a second wind.

Burned out after releasing four albums in a decade, the Canadian singer-songwriter set aside her music career in 2014 and opened a cafe called Quitters in her hometown of Ottawa. This slow-brewed album marks her return.

Compared to earlier work like Edwards' raw 2003 debut 'œFailer,'ť the new 10-track set is a more polished package from a more contented musician.

It opens strongly with 'œGlenfern,'ť a wistful tribute to the past and her ex-husband. Unsentimental honesty and vivid word pictures are Edwards' songwriting strength - 'œWe had a tour bus with a bed in the back/We bought a rock '~n' roll dream, it was total crap'ť - and the result will resonate with anyone who knows the sour-sweet pull of looking back.

Edwards is an energetic guitarist and singer whose urgent vocals can cut to the heart or flash with sarcasm. 'œLove is blind/Whoever bought that line must be a real sucker,'ť she sings on 'œFool's Ride.'ť

Those qualities are somewhat muted by the slickly layered production by Edwards, longtime collaborator Jim Bryson and Nashville producer Ian Fitchuk, who won two Grammys for his work on Kacey Musgraves' critically acclaimed 'œGolden Hour" album.

A tight rhythm section propels songs about soured relationships ('œHard on Everyone,'ť 'œFool's Ride'ť), the relief of shedding obligations ('œBirds on a Feeder'ť) and the pleasure of renewing a childhood friendship (the singalong-catchy 'œSimple Math'ť).

There is melancholy, too, as Edwards mourns a beloved dog on 'œWho Rescued Who" and remembers a friend gone too soon on 'œAshes to Ashes'ť - a more stripped down song built around gentle acoustic guitar and banjo.

But there is also acceptance that things change on 'œTake it With You When You Go,'ť which closes the album on a gently elegiac note.

Fans of the earlier Edwards might wish for a few more rough edges, but 'œTotal Freedom'ť is the work of a relaxed and confident artist. Welcome back.