Canadian singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith has today announced that his new studio album, Carousel One is set to be released in North America on Tuesday, March 31, 2015. The album will be released in his home country by Warner Music Canada.
Carousel One was produced by Jim Scott and features an incredible cast of studio musicians helping to bring Ron’s songs to life including bass player Bob Glaub, whose previous clients include John Lennon, Lucinda Williams, Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon, Dolly Parton, Graham Nash and hundreds of others; guitarist Jon Graboff (John Lee Hooker, Dr John); drummer Don Heffington (Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Lone Justice); and keyboard player John McGinty (Dixie Chicks, Whiskeytown, Neal Casal, Matthew Sweet). The album takes its name from the luggage retrieval belt at Los Angeles airport where bags off Toronto inbound flights are delivered.
2014 was an incredible year for Ron Sexsmith. In March, his 2013 album Forever Endeavour won the Juno Award as Best Adult Alternative Album marking the third Juno win in Ron’s career. In April, Sir Peter Blake (the man who created the cover for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band) unveiled a mural he was commissioned to do for the Royal Albert Hall in London featuring people who have played there. Ron’s image is included alongside those of Roger Daltrey, James Brown and Janet Jackson. In May, Sexsmith was named Honorary Fellow of The Royal Conservatory in Toronto. On June 3 he received an honorary doctorate degree from Brock University in his hometown of St. Catharines, Ontario. It’s no wonder that in July of 2014 he was in a particularly good mood entering the studio to record Carousel One.
“I didn’t realize until we were putting the songs together for Carousel One that this would be more outgoing, there’s a lot more humour,” says Ron. “I mean, there’s even a smiling picture on the cover, which I’ve never had before. I just hope it doesn’t scare the children.”
Carousel One features 14 new Sexsmith compositions including the first single, “Saint Bernard,” a tribute to an anonymous family dog from a photograph picked up in a second-hand shop by his wife Colleen. The CD and digital versions of the album include two bonus tracks.
“They’ve always been my favourite type of dog,” says Ron, recalling the genesis of the song. “I was sitting in the kitchen one day playing guitar, I had this melody but no lyrics, so I looked up at the picture and just started singing the opening lines. I guess the album is kind of a travelogue of music that I like which was mostly a happy accident.”
Carousel One tracklisting:
Sure As The Sky
Saint Bernard
Loving You
Before The Night Is Gone
Lucky Penny
Getaway Car
Nothing Feels The Same Anymore
Sun’s Coming Out
Lord Knows
All Our Tomorrows
No One
Can’t Get My Act Together
Tumbling Sky
Many Times
Bonus tracks on CD and digital album only:
The Other Side (Bonus Track)
Is Anyone Going To San Antone (Bonus Track)
