Ron Sexsmith
Just when you've written off a tired, old tradition--in this case, the sensitive singer-songwriter guy--that has finally been deconstructed deconstructed into postmodern exile, he reappears in a form as beautiful and as pure as if he were the first singer ever, singing the first song ever. Thank an unassuming Canadian named Ron Sexsmith. Though he's not the only one to pull off the earnest strummer routine of late--don't forget Freedy Johnston and Jeff Buckley--the charms of Sexsmith's self-titled debut are among the genre's most potent. It's a thin line that separates the self-important songwriter that pours out his heart and presumes we care from the scribe that charms us with his plain insight and grace. Sexsmith is among the latter, simply because he writes great songs. His melodies connect instantly, but don't reveal their full power right away. The music is similarly understated: "There's a Rhythm" and "Secret Heart" drift solely on a clean and quiet electric guitar; "Lebanon, Tennessee" and "Wastin' Time" add light back-up with bass, organ, or the simplest drum kit. And Sexsmith's voice is gorgeous: warm and still, dry and quivering, trembling and mournful (not unlike young Buckley's croon); technically limited, perhaps, but infinite in implication.--Roni Sarig