Ron Sexsmith: Retriever : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

"There's no peace of mind/when the war's inside you," Ron Sexsmith laments on "From Now On," the thematic centerpiece of his seventh album. Sexsmith's vocals on "From Now On" slide over his gentle melodies like a bottleneck over steel strings; his lyrics mesh the introspectiveness of Jackson Browne with the precision of Smokey Robinson. The Toronto artist ponders a treacherous world in which "children are known/To just disappear" ("Wishing Wells"), empathizes with those whom fate has crossed ("For the Driver") and celebrates the redemptive power of a lasting relationship ("Whatever It Takes"). Sexsmith has always known how to deliver a gentle melody, but his work has a new gravity on Retriever; it adds up to his best album yet.

BUD SCOPPA
(RS 946, April 15, 2004)