Live Review: Sarah Slean / Ron Sexsmith

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Sarah Slean (CAN)

Ron Sexsmith (CAN)

Botanique, Brussels - Sept. 14th 2004

Ron Sexsmith set list: Former Glory / Hard Bargain / Cheap Hotel / One Grey Morning / I Know It Well / Whatever It Takes / Words We Never Use / Strawberry Blonde / From Now On / These Days / Tomorrow in Her Eyes / Ray Charles-cover / Thinking Out Loud / Every Passing Day / Sleeping with the Angel / How on Earth / This Song / Imaginary Friend / Tell Me Again / Not About to Lose / Gold in Them Hills // encore: Lebanon, Tennessee / Secret Heart / Riverbed

I'd only read two short bits about Sarah Slean before she appeared on stage and both pieces mentioned Tori Amos. As usual, such a comparison is insulting. Anyone who claims this singer/songwriter's music is "just" reminiscent of the celebrated redhead's work hasn't been paying attention. Of course Sarah Slean plays the piano, of course she plays it with a certain degree of theatricality and of course her range is quite remarkable (with an ability to switch from 'spooky' to 'cute' in a split second), but that doesn't make her an Amos, Apple or Bush. Even though "Lucky Me," her current single (of which the video clip is available on her website) is pure pop, the solo Slean is much more traditional, drawing from several generations of singer-songwriters, pop singers and even cabaret (with a '30's vibe, like some of Randy Newman's songs). On top of being a remarkable pianist and vocalist, she proved she's not your average diary-poet either, telling tales of doomed love ("Duncan"), a society on the rampage (the dystopian "Out in the Park") and disorienting songs like "Pilgrim," starting off with remarkable lines like

A little blood and vomit on the car seat
And the tooth is sitting in my lap
Brother if you're hungry but not wounded
Then it's time to stop and check the map

I already said some of the performance was quite theatrical - but her quirks were definitely the most charming thing I've seen all week - but I could've argued as well that her vivid portraits (or "mini soundtracks" as she called them) might fit in the lineage stemming directly from that nearly-forgotten storyteller David Ackles, who managed to conjure up stories with equal amounts of humor, wit and insight into human nature. So, you could argue Sarah Slean pulled off what many aim at but few succeed in: wrap up an audience that probably wasn't familiar with her work and make sure they'll be back next time, when she's the headlining act of the evening.

Ron Sexsmith may look like the gentlest, quietest Canadian on the planet, but somehow he did succeed in attracting a very enthusiastic bunch of fans who seemed to be hanging on his lips during the entire set, savoring each and every of his words with delight and generating a generous dose of applause. Of course, fans of Ron Sexsmith (I guess you can count me in) are a smart bunch, since the guy hasn't given any evidence during the previous decade (and six albums) that he's not a consistent provider of quality stuff. Admired by some of the big boys (Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello - whom I saw him support a few years ago -, John Hiatt, etc) and an overall well-respected singer-songwriter, he time after time succeeds in delivering slices of 'pop' in the purest sense of the word. There may be occasional hints of folk, gospel and soul, but more than anything else, Sexsmith is a classicist, excelling in the three minute-format. That may be minus if you're in it for the extended epic workouts, rambling monologues and dexterous solos, but those who attended the show knew what they could expect. Songs. Two dozen of 'em. From the moment the band appeared on stage and kicked off Cobblestone Runway's "Former Glory" without too much fuss, followed it up with "Hard Bargain" from his latest (Retriever) and Blue Boy's fantastic "Cheap Hotel," you know this would be a course in songwriting. Although the focus was on this year's release (8 songs), the remainder of the show served as a perfect overview of the man's career - if you've never heard Sexsmith, this was the show you couldn't afford to miss. "The Words We Never Use" is just one of many songs dealing with love and loss, one of those songs that often offers a subtlety you wouldn't expect, while "Speaking with the Angel" (a song written about his son when he was an infant) shows the spiritual side of the man that pops up once in a while. Even though you could say that the majority of his songs are "pop" and his knack for melodies and peculiar delivery (his voice may be an acquired taste) suggest he's a perfectly happy man singing about the finer things in life, his lyrics and themes are often much darker than you'd expect. Take "Strawberry Blonde," for instance, a song so bouncy and lovely ("springtime and dandelions") that it seems the incarnation of joy, but if you listen closely, you discover it might very well be about loneliness and suicide. It wasn't another Depression Night with the Next Suicidal, Tormented Artist, though, since Sexsmith is dry humor incarnate, with a healthy dose of self-deprecation thrown in ("Yes, I've gone electric, that's gonna go down in the book of rock 'n' roll"). He switched from acoustic to electric and back again, in the meantime backed by a terrific band (Jason Mercer - bass, Tim Bovaconti - guitar, Don Kerr - drums and cello on "Speaking with the Angel") who provided the class his songs deserved and occasionally a bit of muscle, as "From Now On" - his most political song (lines like "Have we been blind, have we been lied to" make that pretty clear from the get-go) - was the hardest-rocking song of the set. Of course, if Motörhead is your standard for rock 'n' roll, this is bound to disappoint, but I thought it was a swell moment, especially with Sexsmith delivering a rare solo on electric guitar. For a few songs, he also switched to piano (after explaining its possibilities, from the goth choir-sound to Steely Dan's vaseline vibe): "Gold In Them Hills" (the song he also recorded with Coldplay's Christ Martin) was a mournful highlight and so was "Riverbed," which ended the show in a stunning way. But before that, the audience was treated to a set with several winners, ranging from Blue Boy's "This Song" to Whereabouts' "One Grey Morning" and Retriever's Bill Withers-tribute, "Whatever It Takes," the song that unexpectedly ended up in the Canadian charts. When Sexsmith returned for the encore and told the audience he'd play whatever they requested, it wasn't very surprising that he played two songs from the debut, which seems to be "one of those albums", a sleeper hit that has ended up in many people's Top 10. Anyway, "Lebanon, Tennessee" and (especially) "Secret Heart" were very pretty. Maybe the only thing that some people can/might hold against him is the homogeneity of his shows. While his recording output has shown some experimentation, Sexsmith excels at the classic pop format. Some are infused with soul, some are bright, some suggest gloom, some are even a bit funky, but it's still Ron Sexsmith doing classic pop, and I can imagine that 24 songs might sound a bit too similar if you're not acquainted with his work and don't get the production details that would set 'em apart. But hey, what am I complaining about? There are already enough bands in this world that dedicate their lives to sonic experimentation, breaking down genre barriers and conjuring up monumental waves of noise. There also have to be craftsmen like Ron Sexsmith, people who create wonderful stuff with the basics and make the music you can return to when the next hype is over and all you need is honest, dedication and class. Sometimes, I imagine that I'd like his albums and shows even more if there would be a bit more bite and coloring outside the lines in them, but then I ask myself how many people like Sexsmith are around and uh…. Right. Respect!