Blue Boy
No, Ron Sexsmith hasn't gone country. Instead, this  collaboration between the Canadian troubadour and Nashville's renegade  production team ofSteve Earleand Ray Kennedy pushes well beyond Earle's beloved twang. Supporting Sexsmith's  tuneful lilt and bittersweet lyricism are arrangements emphasizing a  jaunty horn section (the album-opening "This Song"), chamber strings  ("Miracle in Itself," "Fallen"), reggae rhythm ("Never Been Done"),  Merseybeat jangle and harmony ("Don't Ask Why"), and even circus  atmospherics ("Thumbelina Farewell"). On his most musically varied  album to date, Sexsmith continues to merit comparison with artists who  are rarely compared with each other--combining the wry vocal wobble of  theKinks' Ray  Davies, the wispy delicacy of folksingerTim Hardin, and the  boyish pop ofHarry  Nilsson--reinforcing the impression that he's a singular  singer-songwriter.--Don McLeese