Being heralded as one of the country’s premier songwriters has its pitfalls. Ever since Ron Sexsmith released his self-titled debut in 1995, he’s been dogged by critical expectations, and he’s never quite been able to live up to the buzz of that first album. It’s not that Sexsmith hasn’t got the skills — his songs are consistently good, and his performance style is warm and charming — but he’s never managed to crank out a masterpiece of an album.

Exit Strategy of the Soul is Sexsmith’s 11th album and, while it’s one of his better, it still doesn’t hit that genius level. The disc’s first song (following a pretty intro instrumental), “This is How I Know,” is one of Sexsmith’s finest tunes, steeped in Burt Bacharach melodies and instrumentation. The second, “One Last Round,” is almost as good, but Sexsmith starts to lose energy and focus as the album progresses. Most of the songs aren’t bad (though Sexsmith’s “cover” of “Brandy Alexander,” which he co-wrote with Feist, is disappointing), but they don’t have that spark. Maybe it’s because Sexsmith’s gentle voice, while distinctive, lacks emotional grit. Or maybe they just can’t all be diamonds. By normal standards Exit Strategy is good, but still doesn’t quite live up to those pesky expectations.