Martin Sexton

live @ Birchmere, 4.3.2002

“Live Wide Open” is the name of Martin Sexton’s new live album and the two-month tour he kicked off at the sold-out Birchmere Wednesday night and live is where the Syracuse singer-songwriter is unquestionably at his best: the concert stage sets gives his autobiographical compositions form and his remarkable voice charges them to life.

The two sets Sexton performed Wednesday with his longtime percussionist/sidekick Joe Bonadio used the form and material he has been honing for years, but because his singing is so enthralling, the two hours never seemed stale.

Alternating between a big velvet purr, a crackling soul shout and tender falsetto flights, Sexton’s vocals penetrated songs like “Freedom of the Road”, “Angeline” and “Where Did I Go Wrong” to their very core. While swaying around the same line where folk and rock blurred for Tim Buckley, Sexton shoved his youthful love of classic rock into the stew, singing his best songs---”Glory Bound”, “Wasted”, “My Maria”---with an emotional commitment that is rare in any current genre. Though he continues to indulge in lightweight numbers like “Diggin Me” and “13 Step Boogie” that are little more than showpieces for his singing prowess, it is hard to imagine tiring of hearing Sexton’s voice work through the straightaways and curves of a classic road song like “In the Journey”.

Finishing the second set without Bonadio’s percolating thumps, Sexton opened a quieter door, performing a wistful acoustic version of his junkie-prostitute-love song “Candy” and an oddly thrilling “America the Beautiful”. A soft comedown to another uniformly fine evening of Sexton.

Washington Post, 2002

Martin Sexton

live @ Birchmere 10.13.2000

No amount of listening to Martin Sexton’s recordings prepares you for the sheer physical sensation of hearing his voice live, and when the Syracuse, NY native leaned into the opening “Where Did I Go Wrong” at the Birchmere Friday night, a palpable wave of excitement rippled through the crowd. Though his studio output has been frustratingly inconsistent---the latest, “Wonder Bar”, is another uneven affair---Sexton thrives live; during two sets Friday, his remarkable vocals dominated, evoking the pinched howl of Tim Buckley, the sonorous growl of Van Morrison, even Al Green’s velvety shout, often on a single number. That Sexton and his sidekick/drummer Joe Bonadio made a drum kit and guitar into a wide and snappy rock-soul-folk backdrop was a bonus.
In a masterfully paced first set, Bonadio smacked a variety of percussion gadgets, propelling Sexton’s guitar forward through new songs like “Angeline” and “Faith on the Table” as well as a moving version of Ray Charles’ “Hard Times” and an intense “Glory Bound”. After intermission things got looser: Sexton channeled Billie Holiday and John Lennon (“Helter Skelter” surfaced from a 20-minute musical swamp that seemed to be based on “Gypsy Woman”) and went through a bushel of early material. Sexton’s first two discs---’Black Sheep’ and ‘Into the Journey’---have recently been reissued and versions of “Freedom on the Road”, “13 Step Boogie”, “Diner” and “Candy” seemed imbued with reawakened enthusiasm.
Like Bruce Springsteen his formative years, Sexton’s touring and tireless, engaging performances has earned him a loyal following, and Friday’s stellar show indicated that it is high time he gives his people what they want: a live album. Friday night’s set would have made a very good one.

Washington Post, October 2000