Recommended Albums #74

12 Sep 2017 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Recommended Albums Tags: ,

Ron Sexsmith: Retriever (2004)

Ron Sexsmith’s 2004’s Retriever LP is the ideal primer on the work of the Canadian singer-songwriter, and certainly among best work of his career.

Delivered with his trademark McCartney-esque melodic knack, his insightful takes on (as he puts it) “the business of the heart and of the soul” come across as earnest, honest, and emotionally compelling.

“Hard Bargain” is a tribute to a stubbornly determined love that refuses to accept failure. In the hands of another–or lesser–songwriter, the self-loathing touched on here would have been the song’s focus. But in Sexsmith’s hands it is merely given proper proportion in the greater context of a remarkable love affair:

Each time I’m headin’ for nowhere/Doomed and determined to go there/Seems I never get far/’Cause you drive a hard bargain

How’s a guy supposed to fail/With someone like you around/I’ve tried, I’ve tried to no avail/You just can’t seem to let me down

“Imaginary Friends” is a cautionary ode to friends who “meet you when your ship comes in, but never meet you eye-to-eye”. “From Now On” is radio-friendly and had a topical feel in Iraq-War 2004. “Whatever it Takes” channels Bill Withers, adding another color to the album’s palette. And “How on Earth” extolls the amazement of finding a “love divine” in this vale of tears.

Unabashed romanticism is splashed across this album; it seems to come from a place of domestic bliss indeed. But Sexsmith’s understated style is always engaging, never cloying.

Sexsmith is a consummate song craftsman, combining the lyrical precision of Motown or Tin Pan Alley masters with an honesty that rings true. The songs sound lived-in here, as if the work of a man either revealing his own relationship status updates, as it were, or proving to be a talented illusionist. And that’s what a true songwriter does: either finds the universal in the personal, or makes the universal sound personal enough to feel real.

 

Listen to: “Hard Bargain”

 

Listen to: “Imaginary Friends”

 

Listen to: “From Now On”

 

Listen to: “Whatever it Takes”

 

Listen to “How on Earth”

Songs You May Have Missed #390

13 Apr 2013 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: ,

sexsmith

Ron Sexsmith: “Late Bloomer” (2011)

A few bullet points:

  • Until 20 seconds ago, I’d always assumed singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith was from England. He’s actually Canadian.
  • If many of our last names–such as Baker, Hunter, Shepherd, Miller–originated from our ancestors’ professions, I’d like to know a little about this guy’s great great great grandfather.
  • Ron Sexsmith’s talents have won praise from such songwriting luminaries as Paul McCartney, John Hiatt and Elvis Costello in much the same way that the Beatles once name-dropped Harry Nilsson as a lesser-known artist worthy of more attention.

Although the production on Sexsmith’s 11th LP (by Metallica/Motley Crue producer Bob Rock) brings his talents to the fore a little more than on past records, the quality of the songwriting hasn’t changed. It’s melodic tunes with catchy choruses and heart-touching sentiments delivered by a guy with a touch of melancholy in his voice–just what his fans have come to expect.

“Late Bloomer” is an anthem of resiliency for underdogs everywhere. If no one’s singing along to your song, don’t forget there’s always a side 2 to life!

It’s just a stone’s throw
From here to eternity
From the back roads
To where I long to be
The world has changed
Leaving only the truth  intact
You think it’s a game
To me it means more than that

But I’m a late bloomer
I’m a slow learner
And I’ve turned the record over
I’m a long player
My song is my saviour
I’ve got to raise it up
As far as my spirit can reach
That everyone might see

Within earshot
Of rose-coloured dreamers at best
I don’t mean to eavesdrop
It’s just part of my job I guess
At one glance
They don’t know the truth by half
How announcing your plans
Is a sure way to hear god laugh

Like a crab apple on the tree
They’ll find life more bitter than sweet

But I’m a late bloomer
I’m a slow learner
And I’ve heard the penny drop
I’m a small player
With a tall order
To come out on top
And  without selling my soul
That everyone might know
That I’m a late bloomer

From a turntable to a phone
From a revolution to a ring tone

I’m a late bloomer
I’m a slow learner
And I’ve turned the record over
I’m a long player
My song is my saviour
Got to raise it up

I’m a late bloomer
I’m a slow learner
And I’ve heard the penny drop
I’m a small player
With a tall order
To come out on top
And without selling my soul
That’s how a flower grows
And I’m a late bloomer
I’m a late bloomer