Ron Sexsmith
Retriever
(Nettwerk)
When the dinner party is too cool for Travis, you can always say you're into Ron Sexsmith, the acceptable (meaning: obscure) face of pensive strummers who do up the top shirt button.
Sexsmith is the musician popular musos hang out with. This album credits Ed Harcourt, Wallflowers' Jakob Dylan, Coldplay, Travis drummer Neil Primrose and the photography of U2 producer Daniel Lanois.
Disliking his work is forbidden, even if you're one of the few to have heard a track. This time, though, Sexsmith has produced an album you might as well buy to back your bluff. With his froggy voice and relaxed guitar working fluidly, Retriever is the most approachable of Sexsmith's eight releases since 1991. It's also his most consistent (some of the best tracks are towards the end). The folksy soul of Whatever It Takes - coming in at track eight - would hold its own on any Van Morrison album.
