Ron Sexsmith

Unlike many misguided attempts to incorporate electronics into the singer-songwriter genre, Cobblestone Runway finds Sexsmith tastefully bringing in all kinds of keyboard patches and drum loops. The experiment is more successful on some songs ("Disappearing Act") than on others ("Heart's Desire")--especially so when the digital toys are used with restraint. While the experimentation is mostly sonic, Sexsmith's songwriting here is also a bit more varied, stretching from typically beautiful, sad-sack ballads like "These Days" to the gently optimistic post-9/11 song "God Loves Everyone."