Ron Sexsmith
Cobblestone Runway
Linus
Poor Ron Sexsmith. The lovely Canadian troubadour has the back catalogue, critical respect and enough friends in big, high places to be a really successful singer/songwriter. And yet, fame eludes him at every turn. Hopefully, this will change with his newest and sixth album, Cobblestone Runway (apparently the title comes from Ron's opinion of a landing strip at Heathrow Airport in London, England), which puts another new spin on Ron's introspective, sharp songwriting. Sexsmith's last album, Blue Boy, had the venerable Steve Earle in the producer role (under the name twangtrust), thus giving Ron the chance to turn up the volume and rock out, but he goes in the opposite direction on Runway, instead turning to Swede Martin Terefe and some subtle electronics.
He also goes back to the lovely, lilting ballads that have become Ron Sexsmith's trademark, with the excellent "Gold in Them Hills" being the perfect example. His distinctive singing voice is an incredible tool, and he uses it to great effect here to provide a wonderful, soft counterpoint to the electronic backing that dominates most songs. Why, one could almost call it crooning, but without the schmaltzy Englebert Humperdink connotations. The song, "For A Moment" strikes the right balance between the electronics, strumming guitar and Sexsmith's admirable voice. It starts with a nice undulating beat that sets the laid back mood and the guitar adds another layer, and then Ron starts to sing, and it comes together perfectly. The electronic sounds swell in and out of the song at different times and when combined with Ron's melodious "Oooo's," this three minute songs does much to raise goose bumps in this reviewer's opinion. On "Dragonfly on Bay Street," Ron starts to get downright funky, which is quite a change from the slow, sad songs seen on earlier albums like Other Songs and Whereabouts. Also probably the only song you'll ever dance to that concerns Toronto's financial district.
Finally, Chris Martin, singer of now-hot Coldplay, shows up for a "remix" of "Gold in Them Hills," and what first seems like another last-ditch effort to get Ron some decent records sales actually ends up being one of the best songs on the album. Martin and Sexsmith do seem to have similar voices and they trade verses, while also beefing up the guitars and backing instruments, since the original was only Ron and a piano.
It seems a shame that Ron has to resort to all this creative wandering in order to find his wide audience, but if he keeps pumping out albums of this caliber and quality, I hope that he never does find his audience as there will be more for us, the smaller group of core fans, to savour. Definitely nothing bumpy about this landing.
--Chris Whibbs
Blue Rodeo
Palace of Gold
If you're a Blue Rodeo fan, now would be a good time to march ... no make that sprint over to the nearest record store and pick up Palace of Gold. This is a very solid and flowing album, and once you turn it on you won't be able to stop listening until you've heard the entire album. There isn't one bad or unfitting song on the album.
The title track is really upbeat and pleasant, kind of like a jingle ... but a first-rate, award-winning one. This song is uncharacteristically upbeat for Blue Rodeo but it meshes with the rest of the record because it's still a mellow song. The lyrics are well-written and have serious substance, while Greg Keelor's vocals are perfect for the song. It's an appropriate introduction to the album.
"Bulletproof," which has been getting some radio airplay recently is very melodious and the ever-talented Jim Cuddy's voice really resonates. This is the first single of the album and though it may not be the best track, it's definitely smooth and pleasant. The lyrics are personal and intimate, just what one would expect from Blue Rodeo. This is the kind of song that will stick in one's mind once the album has finished playing.
The entire album is fresh and fluid. It is so good that it's difficult to have a favourite one because all the songs are harmonious. The band really makes full use of both Cuddy and Keelor's powerful gifted voices. For all those who love The Counting Crows' August and Everything After, this album is similar and is easily just as good.
--Isabelle West
Hot Water Music
Caution
Epitaph
Categorization is something we just can't help when it comes to music. Having been described as everything from punk to melodic-hardcore to emo-core, Gainesville, Florida quartet Hot Water Music has ignored all of those hollow labels applied to them and just focused on making records.
Emerging from the croc-infested swamps of Florida eight years ago [Ed's note, there are no crocs in Florida, only gators.] the boys have since migrated west to the sunset strip, finding a new home at mammoth indie label Epitaph, where they released A Flight and a Crash in 2001. Less than a year later they are back with Caution, their sophomore Epitaph record, making it their seventh album to date.
One thing must be put out of the way: Caution is not a groundbreaking album. Following in the steps of A Flight and a Crash with a faster, more rock-oriented sound, the band sticks to its Fugazi-influenced formula of dueling guitars and roughed-up vocals coming out of the studio with a slightly more polished and, well, more produced sound than before. "Sellouts!" will cry out the few jaded fools who can't stand to see their favorite little underground discovery sell a few more records.
The truth is, HWM just have access to better recording facilities and had more time to work on their sound. However, there seems to be a limit as to how good a HWM record can get, as they all leave a similar aftertaste: a few memorable songs surrounded by a larger number of average ones. Caution is no exception; Apart from "I Was on a Mountain," "It's all Related" and "the Sense" the rest of the album won't stick in the listener's head.
Don't let me scare you off though, the album is definitely worth a listen. Vocalist Chuck Ragan still sings with the same passion, feeding Caution with the intelligent, emotionally charged lyrics the band is known for. Furthermore, I sincerely believe that just for the art work on the layout of a HWM album, Caution the most resplendent one to date, everyone should own a HWM album. So should you get this record? If it's going to prevent you from getting the latest Creed or Nickelback piece of garbage out there, then I urge you to. Otherwise, you should probably just keep your eyes peeled for HWM's incendiary live show.
--Antoine Guinard
Sondre Lerche
Faces Down
Astralwerks
Listening to Sondre Lerche (pronounced "Lair-kay") is almost like listening to every other wannabe pop star cuurnetly being imported from Europe. Unlike several of his other Scandinavian counterparts (The Hives, The Soundtrack of Our Lives), Lerche's sound echoes that of Donovan mixed with some Nick Drake.
Lerche's North American debut CD on Astralwerks Records, Faces Down, is geared towards the vapid Britpop melodies of such commercial failures as Starsailor or Elbow. Norway's Sondre Lerche is only 19 and although his music writing skills are less pretentious than that of John Mayer, there is something overall uninspiring in his approach.
 The first song on the album, "Dead Passengers," is rich in lounge melodies and is complete with 'doo-wop' backing vocals. In "You Know So Well," Lerche sings maturely about broken love. "There is one thing I know/It goes like this/It's that when I lose my sleep/It's you I miss," he pines. Surely this should make for a prime radio single if David Gray hasn't already topped it with his own recently released album.
As the album progresses, Lerche's voice becomes increasingly familiar and sounds rather mature. The harmonies on such tracks as "Modern Nature" are soothing, as most of the album is, but nothing is too complex. After a while, the soft fluidity of the album becomes a reassurance. In comparison to some of his peers, Lerche writes about the little things in life, while addressing them on the macrocosmic level.
The solidity of the album comes in the diverse blend of styles incorporated in the music. Rather than necessarily imitate those whom he patterns his music after (Aimee Mann, Burt Bacharach, etc.), Lerche uses his influences to forge his own path. While the songs have a similar tone, they're not all generic and formulaic like much of the music that is written by other 19 year olds.
In some respect, this CD is a great debut recording from a young artist. He addresses issues also featured on Beck's Sea Changes, but still leaves a lot of personal questions unanswered. Unfortunately, it's hard to see someone like Lerche writing such music as this.
The CD is enhanced, with a music video and a photo gallery that is viewable on your computer. For a debut CD, it makes me question Astralwerks' promotion of Lerche as someone who will be appealing to younger audiences and divert them away from the current phase of teen-pop. If that's the case, this is definitely the album that should do it, however, musically I would rather look forward to seeing where he goes on his next album.
--Spencer Ross
2008 Woodie Awards
