Ron Sexsmith The Last Rider
By Matthew McKean
Ron Sexsmith's 13th album, The Last Rider, is a stunner. The Toronto-based musician's gift to music lovers all these years has been relentless consistency. But this time around feels different, in a good way — Sexsmith has pulled a set from the ether and charted a new path.
Maybe it's because Sexsmith, after working with some of the industry's best producers, has taken the producing reigns himself, along with his long-time collaborator and drummer Don Kerr. Maybe it's because Sexsmith has, for the first time, made an album with his regular touring band. It certainly couldn't have hurt that the record was recorded mostly at the Tragically Hip's studio near Kingston.
Fact is, the arrangements here are so lush, so nuanced, that what might have felt like a departure in the studio ends up sounding vintage. Fans know that Sexsmith usually reaches for the personal without dwelling in the grim, combining poignancy and lyrical grace with pithy, beautiful, guitar vignettes. There's more going on, though, in each of the 15 tracks here.
On songs like "Breakfast Ethereal," "West Gwillimbury," "Evergreen" and "Every Last One," the gentle-voiced troubadour captures a compelling sense of old beginnings, new endings, and hope. "Won't you help me please/ To sing my worried song/ If you add some harmonies/ I won't be worried long," sings Sexsmith.
The Last Rider is a gorgeous record, hazy and honeyed, which sounds and feels like a remastered '70s folk-pop classic. Wherever Sexsmith found the inspiration, let's hope there's more where this came from. (Warner)
More Ron Sexsmith
May 03 @ 8:00PM - Ron Sexsmith Victoria @ Alix Goolden Performance Hall
May 05 @ 8:00PM - Ron Sexsmith Vancouver @ Rio Theatre
May 06 @ 8:00PM - Ron Sexsmith Calgary @ Studio Bell
May 08 @ 8:00PM - Ron Sexsmith Saskatoon @ Broadway Theatre
May 09 @ 8:00PM - Ron Sexsmith Winnipeg @ West End Cultural Centre
May 28 @ 7:30PM - Ron Sexsmith Ottawa @ National Arts Centre (Southam Hall)
May 30 @ 7:00PM - Ron Sexsmith Toronto @ Danforth Music Hall
Ron Sexsmith Announces New Album 'HERMITAGE,' Plots Canadian Tour
Canadian songwriting hero Ron Sexsmith is coming back into our lives with a new album, single and even a Canadian tour. Sexsmith will rel...
Dave Gahan, Mark Lanegan, Ron Sexsmith Contribute to 'Humanist' Album
Guitarist Rob Marshall is making music as Humanist nearly five years on from the breakup of Exit Calm, and he's now revealed the loaded line...
​Andy Kim Unveils 2019 Christmas Shows with Men Without Hats, Tom Cochrane, Ron Sexsmith
Andy Kim has revealed plans for a string of upcoming annual Christmas shows. He'll first perform in Toronto on December 4 at the Queen E...
Orillia's Roots North Music Fest Gets Ron Sexsmith, the Weather Station, Rose Cousins
Roots North Music Festival is set to return this spring to Orillia, ON. And with the festival fast approaching, organizers have revealed the...
​Andy Kim Brings Christmas Show to Burlington
Andy Kim's Christmas show has been an annual event in Toronto for 14 years and in Montreal for five, and he's now adding another city to the...