''Blue Boy'' is a studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter

Ron Sexsmith Ronald Eldon Sexsmith (born January 8, 1964) is a Canadian singer-songwriter from St. Catharines, Ontario. He was the songwriter of the year at the 2005 Juno Awards. He began releasing recordings of his own material in 1985 at age 21, and has ...

, released in 2001. Sexsmith's former label, Interscope, refused to release the album; Sexsmith eventually was able to license and shop it.

Production

The album was recorded in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

, over the course of six days, and was produced by

Steve Earle Stephen Fain Earle (; born January 17, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, author, and actor. Earle began his career as a songwriter in Nashville and released his first EP in 1982. Initially working in the country music g ...

and his partner Ray Kennedy. Earle encouraged Sexsmith to record the stylistically diverse songs that Sexsmith normally omitted from albums. It includes a cover of the Kyp Harness song "Thumbelina Farewell."

Critical reception

'' No Depression'' wrote that Sexsmith "bonds his thoughtful, elegant wordplay, indelible sense of melody, and demure voice to a myriad of styles." ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' wrote that the album is "shot through with crafty and engaging pop tunes that incorporate everything from backward loops and string arrangements to jazz coloring and reggae beats." ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference to ...

'' wrote that the producers "picked up the tempo, pushed exsmithto sing more forcefully, got the Hammond organ Leslie cabinet twirling and plugged in the electric guitars — all of which moved Sexsmith to a safe and happy musical place that supports, rather than competes with, his songwriting."

Track listing

All songs by

Ronald Eldon Sexsmith Ronald Eldon Sexsmith (born January 8, 1964) is a Canadian singer-songwriter from St. Catharines, Ontario. He was the songwriter of the year at the 2005 Juno Awards. He began releasing recordings of his own material in 1985 at age 21, and has s ...

except where noted. # "This Song" – 3:43 # "Cheap Hotel" – 2:17 # "Don't Ask Why" – 2:58 # "Foolproof" – 3:45 # "Tell Me Again" – 2:35 # "Just My Heart Talkin'" – 2:21 # "Not Too Big" – 3:20 # "Miracle in Itself" – 2:47 # "Thirsty Love" – 3:15 # "Never Been Done" – 2:52 # "Thumbelina Farewell" ( Kyp Harness) – 4:14 # "Parable" – 3:17 # "Keep It in Mind" – 3:09 # "Fallen" – 3:07 # "Before We Ever Met" (Japanese Bonus Track)

References

External links

* 2001 albums Ron Sexsmith albums Cooking Vinyl albums {{2000s-pop-rock-album-stub