LITTLE ROCK — After twice packing Sticky Fingerz as a solo act, singer-songwriter-guitarist Martin Sexton is returning Sunday with a band. Sexton began his tour April 15 and last week did a two-night gig in New Orleans, appearing at the House of Blues and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. He has a June 13 slot at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Tennessee.
A highly independent sort from New England, Sexton has a new CD, Sugarcoating, the title cut of which refers to the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and his views on how “the nightly news gone entertainment biz and the politicians out showboatin’, one day somebody tell it like it is .…”
“Shane” is named for Sexton’s young son, who is nearing his second birthday; “Boom Sh-Boom” celebrates how he discovered the love of his life. “Livin’ the Life” and “Just to Be Alive” extol the merits of life and living.
With a voice that at times recalls earlier singer-songwriters such as Guy Clark, James Taylor and Cat Stevens, the 44-year-old Sexton has been called a blueeyed soul man who draws from rock, blues, country, soul, gospel and rhythm and blues. His wide vocal range moves from falsetto to scat singing and a near yodel at times.
Brought up in Syracuse, N.Y., Sexton took up guitar at 14 and left home at 22 for Harvard Square in Cambridge, Mass. He found enough acceptance to make a cassette, In the Journey, that sold 20,000 copies and led to a Boston Music Award for “Best New Artist” and the release in 1996 of a full-length album, Black Sheep. A deal with Atlantic Records brought the release of The American in 1998 and Wonder Bar in 2000.
Preferring to call his own shots, in 2002 Sexton started Kitchen Table Records, which has released his subsequent albums Live Wide Open in 2001, Camp Holiday (Christmas standards) in 2005, Seeds in 2007, Solo in 2008 and Sugarcoating.
Paul Newman, the late movie star and legend, had praise for Sexton’s showmanship: “If you are sitting down, you will immediately want to stand up.”Martin Sexton
Opening act:
Ryan Montbleau Band
8 p.m.
Sunday, Sticky Fingerz Chicken Shack, 107 Commerce St., Little Rock
Admission:
$20 (age 21 and over only)
(501) 372-7707, stickyfingerz.com
Weekend, Pages 35 on 04/29/2010