Ron Sexsmith - Retriever (Parlophone) By Steve Rudd

Ever since the early 90's, and the 1991 release of Grand Opera Lane, Ron has been making sublime music - and has even had some of his songs covered by the superstar likes of Rod Stewart and Elton John. This 12-track album is a beautifully conceived affair, and a mixture of upbeat tunes and more tender, reflective love ballads. Opening track Hard Bargain is one of the catchiest, and immediately brings to mind the music of Ryan Adams and The Finn Brothers, with Ron's voice very similar to the aforementioned Ryan's.

The style of music is to an extent folk-pop, with his Imaginary Friends a perfect example of how he loves to employ subtle but strong and captivating melodies. This track is one of a handful that features singer-songwriter in his own right, Ed Harcourt, on piano, while Ron's affecting singing voice exudes the wistful air of The Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon's to a striking degree. It's simple to find solace in his warm voice, with Not About To Lose and From Now On proceeding to be two of the most upbeat songs on this 40-minute long palate of near-perfection, the former song of which features the Love Sponge string section adding a touching texture to the tune. For The Driver is perhaps the most affecting of all the songs, being a compelling acoustic lullaby of heartbreakingly poetic proportions as Ron puts the world to rights: I feel for the soldier in the throes of war, sent off to settle someone else's score. The far more upbeat Wishing Wells soon lifts such a somber mood though. And for any die-hard Travis fans out there, you might be interested to know that their drummer in Neil Primrose plays on four of the tracks as Ron's second special guest, on what really is a very special album indeed. www.ronsexsmith.com

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