Ron Sexsmith's new release on Compass Records, Carousel One, is the cherished Canadian crooner s first album in two years. It finds Sexsmith in surprising territory for a man often pegged as a downbeat balladeer: he s actually contented.

The 16-track album is a warm, deeply involving set of songs that showcases Sexsmith s great empathy and occasional sentimentality, but also his often-overlooked playfulness. Carousel One (named for the luggage retrieval belt at Los Angeles airport where bags off Toronto flights are delivered) is probably the most diverse album of Sexsmith's nearly 20-year solo career.