Ron Sexsmith
Exit Strategy Soul
Ronboy Rhymes/V2

Sexsmith's 11th album (including one collaboration and one B-sides collection) comes with few surprises but that's how we like him. Recorded in London with a Swedish producer (Martin Terefe) and overdubbing horns and percussion in Cuba, it surely makes for willingness to experiment to the extent one can expect him to experiment. This is one that grows on you. My first listen kind of bored me, the second I sort of reacted to the production sound of it all, third time around I wanted to put on one of the earlier albums. Then I let it rest for a few days and give it another shot (played loud in the living room, as opposed to in the office or on headphones) - and things started to fall into place.

The Cuban contribution isn't there for the experiment itself, they fit surely fine, spicing it up both rhytmically and melodically. The songs starts to sink in and I notice cool twists in his voice that hasn't been there before. Another set of classic pop tunes that sometimes compete with the best of McCartney and Neil Finn - including a sensitivity that neither of them dare to compete with. I'm still a Sexsmith fan.

Copyright © 2008 Anders Svendsen