Shy, soft-spoken and impossibly youthful-looking, Ron Sexsmith is regarded by many as one of the most talented singer-songwriters of his generation. His fans include Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello and Elton John - and yet the baby-faced Canadian still has to struggle just to get his records released. Perhaps Cobblestone Runway will change all that; certainly it's his strongest and most accessible album to date. Largely inspired by the collapse of his 15-year-old marriage, the songs here are magnificently world-weary, spinning exquisite tales of bad luck and blown chances. Sexsmith's new production team, meanwhile, have added a host of electronica stylings that give his traditional acoustic arrangements a welcome, contemporary new dimension. With a new, radio-friendly sheen, and a closing track featuring Chris Martin of Coldplay, it's hard to see what more Sexsmith has to do to appeal to the masses. It's their loss, of course - this is confessional songwriting of the very highest order, from an artist who's still approaching the peak of his powers.
