Long Player Late Bloomer

Feted by everyone from Bob Dylan to Bruce Springsteen to KD Lang, Ron Sexsmith's vast acclaim has never really translated into success. In a sense, he's a man out of time, a songwriter whose perfectly crafted material would have sold better when the likes of Joni Mitchell and his friend Elvis Costello occupied the charts. However, Sexsmith's music just gets better, and his 12th album actually sounds eerily close to a classic Costello: immaculately well-observed songs delivered with sincerity and panache. The Canadian's struggles reflect in the darker moods and pithy lyrics that underpin an otherwise uplifting collection of twangy guitars and lovely pianos. "If you're crying over split milk, take a number, wait in line," he instructs. However, he sings like a man emerging from clouds to "see the beauty in sun and shining stars", clutching tightly to his art. "I'm a long player, my song is my saviour," he croons on the superlative title track, and he may yet be right.
-David Simpson, The Guardian