Canadian singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith invited Coldplay singer Chris Martin to guest on "Gold in Them Hills," a song for his next album, Cobblestone Runway.

Martin was originally asked to play piano on the track, but when he heard the part Sexsmith had already recorded, he didn't want to alter it. Instead, he sang on the track, at a Malibu, California, studio, while Sexsmith was out on the road promoting his 2001 release, the Steve Earle-produced Blue Boy. "Chris has a lovely voice," Sexsmith says. "It was nice of him to come down and offer his services. I wish I could've been around to witness it."

Sexsmith and Martin first met in Australia when Coldplay asked Sexsmith to open a couple of dates for the band after he completed his own tour Down Under. Martin first became a Sexsmith fan after the Toronto-based singer appeared on the U.K. television show Later With Jools Holland, along with R.E.M. and others. In the weeks following, Martin contacted Sexsmith through his management, making offers to perform with Coldplay or for anything else that might come up. The pair also shared an engineer: Michael Brauer, who mixed Coldplay's Grammy-winning Parachutes, did the same for Cobblestone Runway.

The new album was recorded last fall in London with Swedish producer Martin Terefe (Shea Seger, Leona Ness). Sexsmith met Terefe when the producer recorded Sexsmith's version of "This Is Where I Belong," the title track of a new Ray Davies tribute album. Sexsmith was then asked to duet on "Always," a song by Seger for her debut album, The May Street Project, which Terefe also produced.

A September release has already been set for Cobblestone Runway in Canada, and Sexsmith is entertaining offers for an international deal.

KAREN BLISS
(May 28, 2002)