Canadian Sexsmith remains mostly a cult favorite, but over a decade he has crafted a fine career releasing beautiful, catchy pop/rock records -- in the old fashioned sense of the word, "pop." (Jessica Simpson fans can stop reading now).
"Retriever," written during the breakup of his marriage, explores familiar themes of love and longing, but delves into more serious matter as well, commenting on our willingness to be herded into panic in "From Now On," the disc's gently angry and most driving cut: "They're in the business of panic and control. We're in the business of the heart, and of the soul."
The disc explores relationships in tunes like "Hard Bargain" and the piano ballad, "Tomorrow in Her Eyes." "Dandelion Wine" takes a well-worn title and spins a bittersweet piece of nostalgia. "Happiness" evokes Van Morrison. Best of all, Sexsmith offers no easy answers so while the tunes are beautiful, they're also deceptively complex.
Sexsmith is one of the finest melody writers around, following in the fine tradition of writers like Neil Finn, Elvis Costello and Paul McCartney at his best.
This is a pop record that will worm it's way into your CD player for years to come.