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Ron Sexsmith: The Songwriter's Songwriter His songs have been widely covered by artists like Emmylou Harris, Feist and Michael Bublé. Now on his 12th album, the Canadian singer-songwriter is out with a new record, Long Player Late Bloomer. Hear Sexsmith perform live and discuss his ambivalence toward his own career.

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Ron Sexsmith: The Songwriter's Songwriter

FromWFUV

By 

John Platt

Ron Sexsmith: The Songwriter's Songwriter

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Ron Sexsmith. Natasha Bardin hide caption

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Natasha Bardin

Ron Sexsmith.

Natasha Bardin

Hear Songs From This Session

"Get In Line"

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"Love Shines"

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"Nowadays"

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Ron Sexsmith is the songwriter's songwriter, with fans including Bob Dylan, Elton John and Elvis Costello — who compared Sexsmith's melodic purity and insight to that of Paul McCartney in his heyday.

For his latest album, Long Player Late Bloomer, Sexsmith tapped an unlikely producer in Bob Rock — best known for his work with bands like Metallica and Mötley Crüe. The result wasn't an exercise in heavy metal, but rather another collection of songwriting gems burnished by Rock's flair for rich production values.

At the time Sexsmith came into WFUV's Studio A, Love Shines (a documentary about the making of his album) had just won the Audience Award as best music documentary at the 2011 SXSW Film Festival. Canadian to the core, Sexsmith was modest about his accomplishments, yet articulate about his craft and his beliefs. He's no late bloomer, but he's definitely a long player, with songs sure to survive the test of time.

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