This is How I Know by Ron Sexsmith, from Exit Strategy of the Soul (Warner)
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Darwinists take issue with the song's spirituality — "out of nothing came a miracle" — but nobody discredits the songwriter with a startling gift for melody and a newly soulful voice. Horns and a Rhodes keyboard (Billy Preston from the great beyond?) enhance a thoughtful tune surely destined for a future Best of Ron Sexsmith.
Modern Guilt by Beck, from the forthcoming Modern Guilt (Interscope)
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"Don't know what I've done, but I feel ashamed." Confused and culpable, Beck adds bloopy noises to an insistent, upright beat — Soft Cell meets the Turtles — and takes the blame for the state of the Earth.
Lonely Heaven by Jesse Baylin, from Firesight (Verve Forecast)
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It never rains in Southern California, so Golden State gal Jesse Baylin looks toward overcast British singers for a smoky, lightly jazzed piano approach. She's heartbroken and about to shut down — forlornness has never sounded so divine.
Just Like Heaven by the Watson Twins, from Fire Songs (Vanguard)
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Dew-voiced Doublemint girls sing longingly on a dreamy piece of soft roots-rock. The best heaven song we've heard since Jesse Baylin's Lonely Heaven, just 30 seconds ago.
Leave the Sun Behind by Buffalo Killers, from Let It Ride (Alive)
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Not that it stretches the mind to imagine Joe Walsh joining the Black Crowes, but now, with this languid bong-boogie, you don't have to.
In Pictures:
