Acrpost: A Project of the Pacific Association of Artist Run Centres

Event Description

On sale Fri, Sept 8 @ 10am

After releasing a number of records of melodic, emotionally eloquent and soulful pop songs, Ron Sexsmith’s 2004 album Retriever finally marked a major breakthrough for the Toronto-based tunesmith on Canadian radio. Retriever tracks “Whatever It Takes” and “Not About to Lose” made a real impact on adult contemporary formats. It was a long overdue milestone for Ron, a musician widely regarded as a “songwriter’s songwriter” for the praise heaped on him by celebrity endorsers like Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow, Bono, John Prine, Radiohead, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, even Bob Dylan, Elton John, and Paul McCartney. And that’s not even including all the people who have covered his songs—a partial list of whom includes the Brodsky Quartet, Mary Black, Rod Steward, Feist, kd lang and Nick Lowe. He has been nominated for a number of Junos, and won in 2004 for Songwriter of the Year.

Of course, no one does a Sexsmith song like the original, and Time Being, Ron’s latest, finds the singer in extraordinary form. Reunited with Mitchell Froom, who produced his first three records, he has crafted a gorgeous album full of wistful, hopeful songs and backed by some of the best players in the biz, including Costello collaborators Davey Faragher and Pete Thomas. As usual, the record finds Ron by turns nostalgic and optimistic, looking back and looking forward, ruminating on time’s passing and, on one of the disc’s odder tracks, considering “Jazz in the Bookstore”. For, as melancholy as some songs get, Ron is still an entertainer, and one who always has a joke, a wry smile or an ironic take around the corner—which is one reason fans never miss a chance to see him live.