Ron Sexsmith: Exit Strategy Of The Soul

Maybe Ron Sexsmith should

put out a lousy album one of these days just to make it easier to appreciate

how consistently terrific his output is. Instead, Exit Strategy Of The Soul continues an unbroken

string of sweet, wounded pop dating back to the early '90s. Without pushing,

Sexsmith lures listeners into a world filled with disappointments offset by the

hope of a better tomorrow, even though there isn't a lot of common sense backing

up that hope.

Most of the characters

drifting through Exit Strategy look to the future for answers, whether they're

overwhelmed by life in general ("The Impossible World") or seeking solace in

another ("Music To My Ears"). Sometimes the optimism they find isn't just

misplaced, it's destructive, as in the politically metaphorical boozing of "One

Last Round."

While Sexsmith's songs

haven't changed that much over the years, the production behind them has.

Producer Martin Terefe, working with Sexsmith for the second time, fills out

the sound with strings, a soulful Cuban horn section, and, on one track, Feist,

reprising the Sexsmith co-write "Brandy Alexander" from The Reminder. It's a sweet wrapping

for bittersweet sentiments. "I can't give up on all these poor helpless dreams,"

Sexsmith sings on "Poor Helpless Dreams." "For what have they got if they don't

have me" His songs have chased that question years. With luck, they'll never

find an answer.