Sequoyah Murray – Before You Begin

Thrill Jockey

Once again, Thrill Jockey are confounding expectations with the debut album from new soul wunderkind Sequoyah Murray. Hot on the heels of this year’s Penalties Of Love EP, the album finds Sequoyah crafting all sorts of genre-spanning backdrops on which to hang his effortless and creamy baritone.

At just twenty-two, he clearly has no fear of the recording studio nor the process itself, and having played the majority of the instruments and co-produced, there is little that he can’t accomplish. If you are seeing comparisons with the likes of Prince, then look away now, because this is a much more intimate and less showy journey.

It is more the sound of discovery, both musically and personally, and although he was born and raised in Atlanta, the home of hip-hop, very little of that sound pervades his songs. There is a freer, more experimental feel to the constructions that reflect a childhood with musician parents unafraid to lead an improv session and invite the young Sequoyah to sit in.

“Here You Go” introduces his warm and sensual baritone over a looped operatic excerpt, the two vocal styles melding in a disconcerting manner, but giving us a good idea of what we may expect from his voice when let loose — not that it is ever really let loose as such. There is great control in the vocal style, which allows the richness to seep through, but at points you may find a phrase featuring snippets of different vocals ranging in timbres and pitches to create an unusual rhythm to each track.

It feels as if he is duetting with himself on “I Wonder”, with the addition of vocals from his sister adding to the patchwork sensation. The musical backing is simple and strident and it moves elegantly, but is controlled by the voice and that is the case over the whole album, so that the vocals always take centre stage. It is down to the way that he tweaks and teases them that ensures that each track has a different feel.

There are moments where I am reminded of Andy Williams, and in my book that is only a good thing. It is the effortless delivery and the sense that you are being welcomed warmly into a world that isn’t always straightforward that does it, but the backings are far more idiosyncratic with a lot of mid-tempo ’80s synth effects being employed. The intro is oddly hesitant on “Blue Jays” and the voice is smooth like treacle, but it doesn’t interfere with the staccato eastern backing that hovers darkly over the horizon as the voices circle higher, drifting on thermals away from the hubbub far below. There are violins in the distance and even the sound of ’80s computer games bubbling along, whereas on “Sunflower” he experiments with xylophone and rainmaker, adding piano droplets to create a hesitant and insecure footing for the voice.

There really is no fear shown here and the willingness to try anything once must be down to the security he has in his vocal abilities. There are echoes of Antony / Anohni in that feeling that here is a voice that is almost impossible to pigeonhole, and so is inventing its own musical language and whatever is needed to provide the perfect setting. The strange childlike march of “Let’s Take The Time” opens side two and he dips and soars with a little pitch-bending here and there for good measure, just to add a little different texture.

“Penalties Of Love” revels in almost abstract washes of sound over which he paints his voice in many tones across the canvas and although he can’t resist inserting a beat, I would love to know how it would sound without it. The pedestrian Germanic electronica of “Is Enough” was a pleasant and unexpected turn, while the tropical feel of the steel drum-infused final title track “Before You Begin” is a joyous way in which to see the album out.

Clearly, there is extraordinary talent at work here and it will be interesting to see in which direction he chooses to go from here, because there are no barriers at all.

-Mr Olivetti-