Long Player Late Bloomer

A singer-songwriter acclaimed by a galaxy of artists from Bob Dylan to Elton John, Chris Martin to Michael Buble, Steve Earle to Lucinda Williams for his insight into the human heart and a melodic purity (to paraphrase admirer Elvis Costello) unheard since the heyday of Paul McCartney, you'll find him straight after the Sex Pistols in any self-respecting encyclopedia of modern music. That's as close as Ron Sexsmith has ever got to in-yr-face hard rock...until now.

For his 11th album, Long Player Late Bloomer, the award-winning troubadour has paired himself with a fellow Canadian, the producer of bone-crunching classics by Metallica, Motley Crue and The Cult - the genuinely named Bob Rock. The 13 tracks on the album that came out of this partnership - each and every one of them - sound like honest-to-God hits.