Hope for the Hopeless

If Ron Sexsmith had grown up listening to Paul Simon's GRACELAND, he might not sound dissimilar to Brett Dennen, who blends carefully constructed, poetic lyrics with sunny, funk/African-inflected grooves (Femi Kuti even turns up on one track). His third album finds him moving further into that groove, leaving a little of his former wordiness behind, and striking a nice balance between intellect and from-the-gut locomotion.