Adventurous new album from critically acclaimed Yukon songstress is her best yet It’s been a long time since we’ve heard any new music from Nicole Edwards, Yukon-Canada’s favourite jazz-folk-rock Diva, but the good news is that the wait is finally over! ‘Genre Bender’ is Nicole’s 5th CD and her first since ‘Sage and Wild Roses’ came out in 2011. And, even though it may seem like a long intermission between recordings, it’ll take just one listen through these fourteen songs to know that Edwards hasn’t been kicking back and letting the moss grow under her feet between albums. ‘Genre Bender’ is a deeply moving and personal album that shines with beauty and conviction. It features a bold selection of songs that celebrates and explores the wide range of music available to us today. Recorded over a period of three years with a variety of musicians, Nicole Edwards never rushes her muse; she remains an indie musician in the truest sense of the word who always creates on her own terms. The way Edwards recorded these new songs acknowledges that life is diverse, and that just as we don’t want to wear identical clothes every day or eat the same thing for dinner every night, not all of our experiences can be expressed within a single style of music. On ‘Genre Bender’, as the title suggests, Edwards offers her listeners a full palette of musical styles to choose from. Her new songs range from Jazz, Latin, Roots, Country and Gospel to Rock. One of the most impressive things about ‘Genre Bender’ is how seamlessly the songs flow together. Even though the musical treatment each song receives is unique, the tracks rest comfortably alongside each other thanks to the sensitivity and consistency of Edwards’ lyrical insights. For, as uplifting, clever and innovative as the musical settings are, it would be a shame to overlook the wit and perception communicated in Edwards’ narratives. Songs like ‘Lychee Martini’ seem breezy and tongue and cheek at first, but if you listen closely, Edwards reveals that she can write confessional, soul-searching, heart broken, ‘got to pick myself up and move on’ lyrics with the best of them. The strong nuanced vocals of the opening track, ‘Miracle’ recalls latter day Etta James as well as Joan Osbourne’s best work. Supported by a tasteful Stax inspired R and B horn section and understated organ, it’s worth the cost of the record all by itself. Indeed, one of the problems with such a perfectly realized record as ‘Gender Bender’ is that it’s almost impossible to pick highlights. All of the songs are so darned good, but the reflective ‘Second Thoughts’ with its tasteful guitar and beautiful nuanced vocals is one of many standouts. ‘Chocolate and a Bubble Bath’ has a tasteful Latin, Samba vibe that wouldn’t be out of place on an old Gilberto Gil record. The gorgeous country lilt of the old timey ‘Widow Waltz’ is drop dead perfect, and like many of the other tracks on ‘Genre Bender’ sounds like it’s destined to be an enduring classic. The album also features three songs sung in French: a translation of ‘Lychee Martini’, a gorgeous interpretation of Edith Piaf’s ‘ La foule – Que nadie sepa mi sufrir,’ and ‘Viens dans mes bras,’ one of ‘Genre Bender’s’ most committed and uplifting selections. As with all of the other songs, they fit surprisingly well into the flow of the record as a whole. Each of the genres that Edwards so lovingly explores opens a doorway into a whole new world of interpretation. Whether one’s listening to the R and B textures of ‘Love, Serve and Uplift’ or the hard rock numbers ‘I Still Have Something’ and ‘I Already Told You,’ you’re left with the feeling that Nicole Edwards loves music in all of its forms, and that she could happily record a whole album in each of the genres that she dips her toes into here. Of course, a project like ‘Genre Bender’ could easily derail if a less accomplished artist took it on, but quite astonishingly, Nicole Edwards pulls off a miracle on every track. And, she does it without sacrificing her unique qualities as a musician. In the same way that Joni Mitchell’s music is recognizable no matter what style she’s playing in, Edwards’ sensibility, strong personality and individual perceptions shine through in all she does. But, comparisons can only do so much. Nicole Edwards is a unique artist with a deeply personal vision that she pulls off beautifully to share with us on this, her fifth and finest album. Ambitious, thrilling, at turns funny and heart-breaking, ‘Genre Bender’ is an indispensible new album from one of Canada’s finest roots-based artists. Short Bio Nicole Edwards is originally from South River, Ontario, but has been based in Mt. Lorne, Yukon since 1997. Nicole’s career has taken her to barrooms, ballrooms and everywhere in between. She has shared the stage with the Sam Roberts Band, Ken Whitely, Bif Naked, John Mays, Scott Merritt & Brandon Isaak amongst others. She has been a featured artist at premiere music venues across the country, including the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver, Hugh’s Room in Toronto, and the Dawson City Music Festival. Nicole has also performed at the West Coast Music Award’s televised gala celebration where she was nominated for an award. Nicole has been living with scleroderma, an auto-immune connective tissue disease, for several years, but that has not diverted her from her musical path. If anything, it has given her a renewed commitment towards song-writing and contributed to the deep appreciation of the joy and healing that music continues to give to her life.