Description
Ron Sexsmith takes listeners on a dreamy, pastel-tinged vacation of the mind with Hermitage, a batch of 14 songs that range from loosely tropical swing-alongs to forlorn lullabies. Often backed by a simple piano line, the melodies in this album tell a gentle story, creating — as the album’s title suggests — a kind of hideout from the outside world.
With help from his producer, Don Kerr, Sexsmith arranged a recording setup in his living room, playing all the tracks on the album himself except for the drums. The project’s self-contained assuredness shines through in every song, a theme that the singer says comes from the confidence he found while making it.
Musically, Sexsmith’s influence came from the classics: There’s an easygoing jangliness that you might expect to find on a Kinks record, and the decision to make the album in one self-sufficient spot is a nod to Paul McCartney’s solo material. Lyrically, any heartache the songs encounter doesn’t upend the overall project’s deep sense of zen.“I think it’s a very upbeat album, lyrically,” Sexsmith says in a press release. “It’s reflective of the sort of peacefulness that I’d recently felt. I’m getting more comfortable in my own skin.”
As many of you would know, we are HUGE fans of Ron’s (he has performed on our humble stage each & every time he has toured Australia!) & want you all to discover his sublime music!
