Martin Sexton Compares Songwriting to Math Homework

It's true that inspiration comes from all places, and for singer-songwriter Martin Sexton, last summer yielded a wealth of new material for his new record, 'Sugarcoating.' And where did he write most of the songs? His speedboat, on a lake in the Adirondacks.

"We'd jump in the water and then whip out the bridge," Sexton tells Spinner. "They came out in a matter of weeks, when they usually stew in me for years."

That may be the case, but it's not like Sexton's been particularly lazy in recent times. 'Sugarcoating' is his fourth release in the last five years, with his previous effort being 2008's 'Solo.' In terms of songwriting this time around, Sexton collaborated with writing partners -- most notably, 10 of the 13 songs were co-written with his friend Dan Mackenzie, whose prior writing credits include work with Joss Stone.

"I think the songs make more sense. My older songs were a bit dreamier; the words didn't make as much sense," Sexton says. "Working with Dan, he was what I called 'the lyric police.' If I had a line that he didn't understand, he'd say 'I don't get it.' It was like being in 7th Grade and you have to do your math homework."

Sexton says a good example of his new willingness to collaborate can be seen on the song 'Long Haul,' a simplified country tune that he wrote with Massachusetts-based producer/songwriter Crit Harmon.

"That's an example of a song that I never would've written without a partner," he says. "He had the basic chord structure and basic melody, some of the lyrics and we sat down in my living room and wrote it by a fire. And it turned into this country tune. It's beautifully simple -- I get so caught up in trying to be smart and intellectual in my songs sometimes. It's totally simple. It's about a simple guy, in love with a girl, who owns a bio-diesel truck. He meets her and he's in it for the long haul."

The rest of 2010 will see Sexton in it for the long haul as well, as he plans to tour through the end of the year, including a string of dates opening for the Dave Matthews Band in late June. Otherwise, he'll be hitting clubs starting April 15 at Toad's Place in New Haven, Ct.