Review by LarryG
3½ stars out of 4
With every record, it becomes clearer that Ron Sexsmith is one of the
most compelling singers and songwriters of our time. On his 3rd cd,
Sexsmith still has a shy and soft spoken Canadian reserve but he seems
to have new confidence as a vocalist and musician. His plain spoken
vocals are still strikingly unassuming and ungimmicky and the songs are
better than ever. His last record, Other Songs, had great songs like
Strawberry Blonde and Clown in Broad Daylight but some of the slower
songs didn't really get your attention. Whereabouts is varied and
consistently interesting. The slow songs especially demand close listening.
Sexsmith has openly declared his love for Elvis Costello. The opener
Still Time resembles a good Elvis ballad. Like Costello, Sexsmith has
a great sense of detail. But instead of Elvis' irony, Sexsmith's writing
has an open faced sincerity. On Seem to Recall, he sings longingly of a
time before dummed down TV talk shows which offend his very real sense
of decency. Sexsmith blends pessimism and hope. One Grey Morning starts
with Sexsmith singing "you can count on many things to let you
down" but moves on to Sexsmith saying one should look ahead at what
can happen instead of back at what hasn't. On Still Time, he sings,
"Seems we're always racing with trouble too close behind...but
where there's hope, there's still time. With producer/keyboardist
Mitchell Froom, Sexsmith creates great settings for Sexsmith's introspective
tales. Idiot Boy and One Grey Morning have circus-like arrangements that
contrast with their sad lyrics. Right About Now has the feel of
classic 70's soul with a great slow groove as Sexsmith simply and touchingly
sings of needing his lover. Sexsmith comes across as guileless. When he
sings of being let down in Must Have Heard it Wrong, his singing is so
sincere and the lyrics are so plainly expressed that his pain is undeniably
real. Sexsmith repeatedly creates vivid images like in Riverbed, singing
of sadly reflecting, lying by the riverside. Feel For You is more upbeat
musically as Sexsmith sweetly tries to cheer up a friend. Whereabouts is
intelligent and thoughtful. It's elegant, timeless pop.
Here's what others reviewers have to say:
"...Ron writes and sings sweetly droopy songs that melt the heart
and assuage the soul. Sexsmith brings an expanded palette to WHEREABOUTS:
banjos and clarinets, piccolos and English horns, all enriching his
deceptively direct...songs" 3 1/2 out of 5 Rolling Stone
6/10/99, p.122
"...[Sexsmith] tackles...enigmas in guileful songs that [Langston
Hughes] might have admired. The singer's well-ordered melodies flesh out
phrases that would hit like cliches from a less gifted artist....WHEREABOUTS
offers many morsels of epiphany..." 8 out of 10 Spin
8/99, p.158
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