No, Ron Sexsmith hasn't gone country. Instead, this collaboration between the Canadian troubadour and Nashville's renegade production team of Steve Earle and Ray Kennedy pushes well beyond Earle's beloved twang. Supporting Sexsmith's tuneful lilt and bittersweet lyricism are arrangements emphasizing a jaunty horn section (the album-opening "This Song"), chamber strings ("Miracle in Itself," "Fallen"), reggae rhythm ("Never Been Done"), Merseybeat jangle and harmony ("Don't Ask Why"), and even circus atmospherics ("Thumbelina Farewell"). On his most musically varied album to date, Sexsmith continues to merit comparison with artists who are rarely compared with each other--combining the wry vocal wobble of the Kinks' Ray Davies, the wispy delicacy of folksinger Tim Hardin, and the boyish pop of Harry Nilsson--reinforcing the impression that he's a singular singer-songwriter. --Don McLeese
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