Martin Sexton Examines 9/11 on 'Sugarcoating'

For singer-songwriter Martin Sexton, the last few years have been rather eye opening. "I feel like I've had an awakening to the world that I wasn't aware of -- how the world works and how it doesn't work," he tells Spinner. "Through a series of reading and being online, the more I look, the more I see, the more s--- comes my way. Once you open your eyes, the s--- just comes at you."

Such is the case for his new record, 'Sugarcoating'; while he tackles a handful of personal narratives regarding his family on songs like 'Friends Again' and reconciliatory apologies on 'Stick Around,' it's the album's title track where Sexton looks more outwardly than in.

"I wanted to write a song about a very serious topic like 9/11, how I think how it may have gone down and how it didn't go down," he says of 'Sugarcoating.' "Basically, I think we're all fed a big line of bulls--- about how it happened. If you follow the money trail, it's all about these wars that never end. They keep going and going and going. Everything is sweeter. It's not real, but sugarcoated so citizens can swallow it."

Sexton says the song originated at his place in the Adirondack Mountains, initially starting off as a bluegrass-tinged number with the final version leaning more into country territories. On the song, Sexton proclaims "if we're silent, we're like slaves."

"It's one thing to talk about it and complain, but what are you going to do about it?" he says. "I figured what I could do was in my work. People listen to me when I sing and I can sing about it. Hopefully it'll help move things along in a little way."

'Sugarcoating' is out now on Sexton's own Kitchen Table Records.