Ron Sexsmith has always been known for his ability to craft beautiful, gently flowing melodies. In a world where popular music is dominated by hip-hop hooks and absurd R&B vocal gymnastics, his music represents a return to songwriting in one of its purest forms.
Nowhere is this more evident than on his new album, Time Being. With this release, the Canadian singer/songwriter has achieved a new apex in the flexibility of his voice, the poetry of his lyrics, and the intricacy of his musical arrangements. Taken together, this album reminds listeners that music and the best musicians have no need to slick, prepackaged marketing to appeal to the widest possible audience.
It’s become a bit of a cliché with Sexsmith and his music that, despite the widely acknowledged impeccable quality of his albums, he has never achieved mainstream success. In Canada, he is regularly held up as one of the country’s finest, given awards, and interviewed for his opinion on various subjects. Unfortunately, this has never translated to copious amounts of albums flying off the record store shelves.
If there was ever a chance to break this cycle, however, it is Time Being. Here, Sexsmith has created his most coherent album to date. He begins with the lofty subject of time, and then uses nearly every track to approach a different aspect of what he has gained and/or lost through the years.
This hardly translates into a morose, self-absorbed rumination, though. For example, “All in Good Time,” the album’s first single, is upbeat rhythmically and lyrically. The melody is one of the strongest Sexsmith has written, burrowing into the listeners brain with simple, moving lyrics. It is three-and-a-half minutes of pure, old school pop songwriting à la Paul Simon or James Taylor.
For Sexsmith, as well, this album presents a slightly larger amount of musical experimentation. One criticism I’ve had of his music in the past is that, while beautifully written, most of his songs have blurred together in my mind. Track after track on Time Being, however, jumps out and remains distinct.
Whether it is the shuffling groove and unexpected harpsichord of “Ship of Fools” or the touching, vulnerable love song “Reason for Our Love,” Sexsmith has allowed himself to wander, and at times push the limits of his songwriting, which has resulted in his strongest work to date.
No one can predict if Sexsmith will ever crack any Top 40 lists, but Time Being may be a first step. Not only does it inspire repeated listens, it also accomplishes something much larger. For music aficionados, it renews our faith that stellar songwriting still exists. When a musician does that, eventually people start to take notice.
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