Wonder Wonder

You know, in the two-year-plus since the birthing of "Telescopic," the world at large has seen and heard very little from Edith. In that time, only the chart-(and graph-)topping CD single, "Love is Real," was released. And very soon afterwards, it became a case of life imitating art; real love once again came into the life of Edith Frost. So is it any wonder that the girl dropped off the radar? But even true love can't stop a true songwriter from singing about true heartbreak. Over the past two years, Edith didn't stop writing, stretching, or growing as a songwriter. And so, on "Wonder Wonder," we find Edith delivering some of her finest songs ever.

For "Wonder Wonder, "an army of diverse musical talents was trucked in to give brusque life, as well as that tender touch, to these fabulous new songs. "Cars & Parties," "Merry Go Round," "Easy to Love," and the title track seemed to require a cinemascope-style arrangement of strings and things; so often, ten players or more were in the room with Edith as the songs went down. Some were old friends and lovers: Ryan Hembrey and Amy Domingues (from Telescopic); Rian Murphy and Rick Rizzo (from Calling Over Time); Archer Prewitt and Mark Greenberg ("Love is Real"). And then there were the new guys: on drums and percussion was Glenn Kotche (from Jim O'Rourke's band; now a card-carrying member of Wilco, too); on various stringed instruments, young Bill Lowman (of Bosco & Jorge). Seasoned professionals Steve Durocke, Paul Mertens and Susan Voelz each brought a practiced finishing move of one kind or another to everything here, and Steve Albini committed it all to tape at Electrical Audio.

People often remark that Edith Frost is a pure country singer. And while we here at Drag City prefer not to confirm or deny such country pigeonholing (what, me -- country?), we'd have to say that Edith Frost's music is a genuinely laid-back, down-home kind of thing, but in an oddly tripped-out fashion. Whether she's singing country music or not -- which she mostly isn't, on "Wonder Wonder" anyway -- roots are still roots -- yuh cain't cut 'em away. The point is, in her short five years of making records, Edith Frost has taken great strides into the far-flung field of pop music. Whether she's on about attraction or love lost, optimism or mistrust, Edith's pretty voice and wild lyrics cut to the truth of the circumstances, truth seen clearly through a mellow haze of pure wonder.