St. Louis is Red Hot!

Coultrain The Adventures Of Seymour Liberty (2008)

"Lost In Translation" (additional background vocals blackspade)



"Playin' Catch Up"




I have always worshiped the church that preaches from the "Side 1/Side 2" bible of album construction. For the youth that may be reading, vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album. If an album contained tracks released separately as released singles, these were often placed at particular positions on the album. A common configuration was to have the album led off by the second and third singles, followed by a ballad. The first single (the "best" song) would lead off side 2 (ie. Prince's "When Doves Cry", Tribe's "Electric Relaxation", etc).

The Adventures Of Seymour Liberty is from an artist who's hails from side 2 of the United States; St. Louis, Missouri. His name is Coultrain, and his official debut album is going to have a lot of people checking for the Midwest. Our first visit with Coultrain on high speed dubbing delivered two very different tracks: "Green" and my favorite, the Wajeeed produced "The Hustler".

Upon purchasing and fully absorbing Adventures (only $7 at Dustygroove), I found out that the album follows the style and feel of "Green" more than anything. I later found out that "The Hustler" was destined for a mix tape, which was good because the song would have sorely stuck out on this more mellow album.

Adventures is a slow build, just merely setting you up for the meat of the album. Be patient while listening. "Swimmin' In The Stars" is nice, but "The Girl Of My Dreams" is what really kick starts the album and introduces you to Coultrain.

Did anyone else hear flashes of Donnie and Bilal on "Screw"? I couldn't put my finger on it for the longest, but once I did I began to really love the song. I imagine this song would kill in a small venue with the right band and background singers.

The next three songs show the true potential of this St. Louis product. The piano driven and cool jazz "Lilac Tree" is elegant in it's vocal and chord changes. That leads into the mid tempo "Lost In Translation" featuring background harmonics from blackspade (who is another cat y'all need to check out). To finish out the trio is the highlight of the album, "Playin' Catch Up". I knew it when I first heard it.

I really enjoyed the overall sound of this album. Very concise. I liked how some songs continued the jam sessions long after the lyrics were done. Not many artists give time for the groove to keep going. Overall, I'm excited about what this brother is ABOUT to do.

Adventures is a solid debut album, but I get the feeling he can do so much more. I'm hoping his comfort level increases and allows him to expand his sounds and palette. Ladies and gentlemen, we've only witnessed the beginning.

Now turn the record over and play it again.