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If you know Sexsmith's work, then you already have a good idea of how good this album is, and if you don't, this is a fine place to get acquainted.
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The same indefatigable hopefulness that sets Sexsmith apart also makes Retriever a bit tiresome.
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UncutA rare treasure indeed. [Aug 2004, p.101]
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It contains all the things that you, no doubt, love about Sexsmith already: A sort of wistful but reassuring melancholy, beautifully simple arrangements, strong lyricism, and Sexsmith's trademark Kermit-like vocals.
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MojoIt is a pleasure to report that nothing has changed. [Jun 2004, p.108]
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Sexsmith has always known how to deliver a gentle melody, but his work has a new gravity on Retriever; it adds up to his best album yet.
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The A.V. ClubWhile Sexsmith's music once seemed both too precise and too remote, on Retriever, he brings a subtle urgency to a set of songs that could double as proverbs.
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Chiming 1960's folk-rock and Beatles-tinged melodies can't quite pull Ron Sexsmith out of the moderate despair that suffuses his songs.
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Paired with his ever-fertile tunesmithery, ether-plucked choruses, and airwave melodies, singer and song beget a pop ball worth fetching again and again on Retriever.
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The genius of Sexsmith’s seventh and best work is the way he surrounds (or, depending on your perspective, atones for) the empathy overload with deftly assimilated, gloriously ascendant pop hookcraft.
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[A] very wonderful, very adult set.
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Sexsmith's best album yet.
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Sexsmith isn't pushing the musical envelope as intensely as he has on past efforts, and while his songwriting is as delicate and graceful as ever, there's simply nothing here that he hasn't done better or with more flair elsewhere.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 9 out of 11
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Mixed: 1 out of 11
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Negative: 1 out of 11
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mattaJul 13, 2005Ron Sexsmith is a musical genius and this very well could be his best album yet. Twelve totally flawless, beautiful gems. The best album of the year.
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kikthaeDec 13, 2004Genius Songsmith. Retriever is exceptional. Ron is at the top of his game, and that is saying something for a guy who rarely dips below inspiring.
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JulioCMay 2, 2004Ron Sexsmith never fails! Good example of good melodies.