Ron Sexsmith Whereabouts CD

Canadian singer-songwriter Sexsmith is a man out of time. The last thing anyone was looking for in the late-'90s was a sensitive singer-songwriter (Jewel doesn't count), much less one possessed of a grace uncommon enough to lay waste the liabilities so prevalent in the genre. Sexsmith's style harkens back to the fragile folk-rock of Tim Hardin (especially vocally) and the artful pop constructions of Brian Wilson.

Unlike his first album, there's no attempt to modernize Sexsmith's sound with hip studio gimmickry. Instead producer Mitchell Froom takes an uncharacteristically straightforward approach to the sound of WHEREABOUTS. The gently intertwining guitars and keyboards could have come off a mid-period Kinks album. Thanks to Sexsmith's wide-eyed innocence and lack of apparent irony, what might sound precious or cloying in less sincere hands comes off as both artful and heartfelt.

Import pressing of his 1999 studio album for Universal. Long deleted in the US.

Recorded at The Magic Shop, New York, New York.

Personnel: Ron Sexsmith (vocals, guitar, mandolin); Dan Zanes (banjo); Don Kerr (ukulele, background vocals); Lorenza Ponce, Tracy Bonham, Laura Seaton (violin); Matthew Pierce (viola); Jane Scarpantoni (cello); Aaron Heick (piccolo, clarinet, English horn); Chris Speed (saxophone); Cuong Vu (trumpet); Curtis Hasselbring (trombone); Mitchell Froom (keyboards, bells); Pete Thomas (drums, percussion).

Audio Mixers: S. "Husky" Hoskulds; Tchad Blake.

Recording information: The Magic Shop, New York, NY.

Photographers: Michael Wilson ; Tchad Blake.

Personnel: ...