ron sexsmith - cobblestone road
when this arrived i wasn't overly keen as i have read reviews of rons previous stuff and it never sounds to be my thing, and when the first track starts with just a scratchy guitar melody and rons strained winsome vocals i feared the worst, but then something interesting happens, track 2 introduces full studio trickery. adding a whole new extra dimension to rons delicate songs. there are drum loops, pianos, backing singers, orchestral backing, electronic tweets, phased effects, all of which may sound like he's discovered some grisly 80's producer, but no, the arrangements are all very beautifully done and fit the style lovingly. several highlights are genuine spine tinglers 'god loves everyone', 'gold in them hills' (of which there are 2 versions, the second of which features celebrity fan chris martin from colplay), 'hearts desire', and the pretty damn funky 'dragonfly on bay street' with its sly stone bassline and kyliepopgroove could easily become a alt.disco hit !
yes, there are several low key tracks which do not get the blood rushing, but for those quiet moments this will do very nicely indeed, thankyou.