Kathleen Edwards - Billionaire
Dualtone
Released on August 22nd, 2025
The Ottawa-born singer songwriter returns after a five-year absence with her 6th album, Billionaire and once again she’s brought along some high-profile friends to help her out. The easy thing to focus on is that Jason Isbell played lead guitar and co-produced Billionaire alongside Gena Johnson, a grammy award-winning producer, the first woman to ever be nominated for “Engineer of the Year” by the Academy of Country Music Awards. These are heavy hitters, especially for an independent Canadian artist whose release history is relatively sparse, though it’s not the first time she’s worked alongside other top-tier American singer-songwriters – her 2012 release, Voyageur was co-produced by Bon Iver mastermind Justin Vernon. Billionaire sounds immaculate; every note from every instrument is crystal-clear, well-balanced and clean, giving Edwards’ voice ample room to shine.
This album is a triumph of songwriting, a lyricist who found another peak more than 20 years into her career and whose voice has only gained power and beauty since her 2003 debut - less airy vibrato and more grace and control. Honesty and vivid storytelling have always been Edwards’ strengths. Here those strengths are balanced by a level of experience and wisdom that can only come with the benefit of age.
The opening pair of songs, “Save Your Soul” and “Say Goodbye, Tell No One” were released as a double A-side in July and it’s easy to see why. On the latter, Edwards’ lyrics have never been as sharp and pointed, with lines like “Here's the truth wrapped up in a lie/I never cared and I never tried/I don't miss you and I never cried/It didn't hurt me when you took their side” seemingly delivered with a wry smile that belies the deep sadness the words convey. Isbell’s shimmering lead guitar and his 400 Unit bandmate Chad Gamble’s drums both propel the song forward. It’s bouncy, almost peppy - the push and pull between the words and the music somehow doesn’t lead to any sort of dissonance, as if to suggest that there really can be joy in the process of moving on.
Things slow down on “Little Red Ranger”, a lyrical masterclass in Canadiana about a former hockey player turned troubadour from northern Ontario trying to make it in LA featuring allusions to Neil Young and Rick Danko and some pointed commentary about the Maple Leafs (Bird in a tree, if you look away/you miss the chance to see it fly away/Live by the ocean, have a beautiful life/The Leafs still suck at playoff time). The titular little red ranger is the pick-up truck he drove the whole way, a perfect image of the good Canadian kid trying to make it in the world. There is a lived-in quality to the song, as if she’s singing about an old friend from home.
Lived-in is an apt description of much of the record. While some might associate comfort with growing stale or stagnant, this quality also represents a sort of quiet confidence that comes with aging. Edwards’ natural vibrato might have strained to reach the notes in the past, something she spoke of when she stepped away from music in the 2010s. Here, there is no strain, only power and grace, particularly on the title track as it swells towards a grand climax. She’s clinging to the emotions - loss and grief - but instead of drowning behind the dense arrangement, her voice rises up.
“Little Pink Door” and “Pine” are two back-half standouts, with each song returning to the album’s overarching themes of aging, nostalgia and lost love. The characters and scenes once again feel lived-in, full of the sort of honesty that makes this genre so appealing to so many. These are authentic, real stories, honest to a fault and heartbreakingly beautiful.