Maybe it’s because he was born in 1964 - the year the British Invasion changed the face of pop music forever - that Ron Sexsmith sounds like the gifted child of Paul McCartney and Ray Davies, two of that generation’s most singular voices. Or maybe because he calls peace-loving Canada home, he is uniquely equipped to look out at the world and make beautiful songs out of everyday moments that the rest of us would just let pass by.
On Time Being, his ninth release - if you count his self-released 1991 cassette debut - Sexsmith has reunited with his 90’s production partner Mitchell Froom. The result is the finest album of an already stellar career. Sexsmith has been hailed as the songwriter’s songwriter ever since Elvis Costello held up his self-titled debut on the cover of MOJO Magazine in 1995, and Time Being ups that ante.
For those who have heard of Sexsmith, but never heard him, here’s what you get: clear, McCartney-esque vocals, intelligent lyrics and pure pop production. The songs are generally optimistic in tone, and the melodies lift, lilt and linger after each listen. Sexsmith, like McCartney or Billy Joel, is a writer so innately tuneful that melodies seem to just flow out of him, without ever seeming forced. The production is, by turns, understated, supportive, and multi-colored.
“All In Good Time,” “Snow Angel,” and “I Think We’re Lost,” are among the finest pop songs of the year, and they’re just the tip of the iceberg on this wonderfully-memorable record. That Sexsmith’s music invites comparisons with McCartney, Davies and Brian Wilson is impressive. That he’s now making music equal to their prime output is the real story.
--Gary Frenay
Buy Album from CD Universe
