Martin Sexton - Seeds Review
Posted by Matt Stone on 04.09.2007
Seeds is an eco-friendly release followed by an eco-friendly tour, but does that really mean anything without a solid disc to back it up? Read on, reader-persons.
2007 brings us Martin Sexton's first release of new material 2000's Wonderbar. Since then he's left a major label, started his own label, toured extensively and taken Al Gore's "An Inevitable Truth" to heart, deciding to "think green" while recording this album and planning the tour. The "Seeds" tour will run on bio-diesel fuel, recycled paper and all sorts of eco-friendly perks. While this is admirable, but means nothing without a solid disc on which to support this venture into eco-safe musicianship.
There are thousands of bands that record flawless albums but can't hold it up with live performances. Martin is the exact opposite. While his live shows surge with a near-tent revival level of blues and gospel energy, his two prior releases, The American and Wonderbar were disjointed affairs, veering off into jazz, light rock, country, folk, gospel, blues and back again with no discernable direction to pull you through. With Seeds, Sexton is nearing ever closer to the transition that seems to have begun after his album Black Sheep, from American folk singer to Americana Rhythm and Blues man.
The album starts out with "Happy", a tune that sets a calm-yet-joyous mood for things to come. Standout tracks include the raucous "Will It Go Round In Circles", giving a shining example of his instrument mimicry abilities and "There Go I", a religious blues number that serves as this album's best representation of what you would hear experiencing a live Martin Sexton show. There's a few misses on the album, including a distracting change of pace with "Going to the Country" that sounds like it should belong on an earlier album, but overall this release is a solid effort.
The 411: While having a few bumps along the road, Martin Sexton's Seeds in a solid record harkening back to old school rhythm and blues with pieces of Americana laid all over it. Stand out tracks "Happy", "Will It Go Round In Circles" and "There Go I" give a shining example of the treasures that are Sexton's voice, soul and musicianship.
