Tag Archives: Ron Sexsmith

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Song of the Day #1,031: ‘Speaking With the Angel’ – Ron Sexsmith

‘Speaking With the Angel’ is the most enduring track from Ron Sexsmith’s studio debut. It has been covered by several artists and adopted as an anthem for such causes as Christianity and autism.

Author Nick Hornby borrowed the title for a book of short stories (by various writers) with the proceeds going to a school for autistic chlidren. Hornby’s own son is autistic (and a student at the school) and in the introduction he described this track as “heart-meltingly relevant” to his son’s condition.

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Song of the Day #1,030: ‘Several Miles’ – Ron Sexsmith

Ron Sexsmith’s first album was an independent release titled Grand Opera Lane that I have yet to get my hands on. It was recorded with a band called The Uncool, and that pretty much sums up Sexsmith himself.

His first studio release was a self-titled disc released in 1995. I consider this Sexsmith’s worst album, though in a Sure Thing “this is the ugliest girl in California” postcard kind of way. There is a roughness and uncertainty about it (though, admittedly, that’s also part of its charm).

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Song of the Day #1,024: ‘Secret Heart’ – Ron Sexsmith

I’m sticking with Ron Sexsmith’s appearance on Elvis Costello’s Spectacle for my second selection this weekend.

Today’s track is the first song on Sexsmith’s self-titled 1995 major label debut. ‘Secret Heart’ is a simple, lovely ballad about unrequited love. It has been covered by Rod Stewart and Feist, among others.

This half-circle of songwriters with guitars on Spectacle intrigues me. Sheryl Crow, Jesse Winchester, Neko Case, Costello and Sexsmith took turns playing their own songs and each other’s while the rest of the group (and the audience) quietly watched.

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Song of the Day #1,023: ‘Everyday I Write the Book’ – Ron Sexsmith & Elvis Costello

The Elvis Costello Weekends have ended, but I’m asking Mr. Costello’s help in introducing his successor. Ladies and gentlemen, the series nobody saw coming: Ron Sexsmith Weekends.

Why, you ask, on the heels of weekends dedicated to such luminaries as Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, The Beatles and all of Motown, would I choose to shift my focus to a little-known Canadian singer-songwriter?

For a couple of reasons.

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Song of the Day #497: ‘Right About Now’ – Ron Sexsmith

If I were to give an award to the most consistent performer in my music collection, I’m pretty sure it would go to Ron Sexsmith. He’s released seven or eight solo albums now and there isn’t a bad song on any of them.

He’s so consistent, in fact, that if you were to play me one of those songs I would have a hard time naming which album it’s on. It’s as if he sat down and recorded 100 expertly crafted gems and then listed them in random order and assigned twelve at a time to different albums.

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