TORONTO - If singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith has a motto in life, it could very well be a song title from his 2006 Time Being album: All In Good Time.

Now nine solo studio albums and a rarities compilation into his critically acclaimed career, the musician has crafted a body of work that would easily place him up against any of the more prolific and consistent tunesmiths this country (and many others) has to offer.

Those albums, including the latest release Exit Strategy Of The Soul, haven't translated into superstar success or made MTV Cribs come knocking on his door, but they have enabled him to get his foot in the door of Toronto's Massey Hall.

And headlining for his third time Wednesday night at the venue in as many years, Sexsmith showed why he should grace that hallowed stage for many years to come.

With CBC Radio 2 recording the near two-hour performance for a future broadcast (Nov. 20 to be exact), Sexsmith and his band set the tone for most of the evening with Hard Bargain, a simple but gorgeous tune showcasing the singer's almost ridiculous knack for melodies combined with an everyman's economical phrasing.

Supported by what he described as his "A-Team" in drummer Don Kerr, guitarist Tim Bovaconti, pianist Dave Matheson and bassist Jason Mercer, Sexsmith, sporting a gold-coloured jacket, occasionally brought out two horn players for songs such as the mid-tempo Brandy Alexander and the poppy One Last Round.

As if that wasn't enough, the singer also had a four-piece string section to accent efforts such as These Days and Not About To Lose, the latter Sexsmith said made it to the charts which he "thought would set off the end of the world."

"They're going to make me sound really good which is what I was hoping the coat would do," Sexsmith said of the string quartet.

Describing his voice as always being a "work in progress," the musician's pipes steered the tender The Less I Know along quite well before Poor Helpless Dreams delivered on its troubadour-leaning, toe-tapping country flavouring.

With his parents, children and significant other in the audience, Sexsmith showed a subtle but far more soulful, less folksy side with much of the new material during Brighter Still and the well-rounded This Is How I Know which Bovaconti filled out nicely.

Only time will tell if future albums follow a similar musical path, but regardless the songwriter has a horde of earlier nuggets that one can't resist at least humming along to whenever they're heard, be it Secret Heart, Clown In Broad Daylight (written for his daughter Evelyn), Strawberry Blonde which got a loud response or Lebanon, Tennessee which he saved for the encore.

These also seemed to complement the more reflective numbers such as Seem To Recall, the lovely Tomorrow In Her Eyes, Riverbed and Gold In Them Hills which closed the 21-song main set.

Not wanting to shun a fan who shouted out a request earlier in the show, Sexsmith thought he would close the show with You Were There, performing it alone on stage. However, some spare time enabled him to pull out the pleasant Former Glory to cap the excellent night off.