Michael Leonhart & the Avramina 7's Seahorse & the Storyteller

Rating: 56

Track List:
1. Seahorse and the Storyteller
2. Have You Met Martina?
3. Scopolamine
4. Gold Fever
5. The Story of Echo Lake
6. Dr. Killjoy
7. Jaipur
8. Madhouse Mumbai
9. Dreams of an Aquarian
10. Avramina Comes Up from the Deep
11. Shh… They’re Sleeping
12. Here Comes the Dragonfish

The fact that I chose to review this album is something of an ironic coincidence. Just like Michael Leonhart and his Avramina 7, it turns out I dove in head first a little too quickly without really knowing what I was getting myself into. Usually I do a little more research before committing to review the work of a band, but for whatever reason, watching the video for “Dreams of an Aquarian” was all the convincing I needed. Little did I know, this was not just any old band with some new record dropping, far from it. Michael Leonhart has an absurdly impressive resume with bands he has either performed with or produced. Feel free to check out his website for a more extensive list, but be impressed and even tickled by this brief taste: A Tribe Called Quest, Bobby McFerrin, Bonnie Raitt, Brian Eno, Busta Rhymes, David Byrne, Foreigner, James Brown, Lenny Kravitz, Michael McDonald, Mos Def, Natalie Merchant, Raekwon, Sharon Jones & the Dapkings, Slash, Steven Tyler, Todd Rundgren, and Wynton Marsalis. Wow.

In my defense, I had every reason to totally dig “Dreams of an Aquarian.” Just like one of his many collaborators, Sharon_Jones_&_the_Dapkings, I was thoroughly excited by Leonhart’s apparent continuation of the re-funkification of these United States. (The very fact that Microsoft Works doesn’t recognize “funkification” should be proof enough of our dire straits.) I’ve never really understood why funk has all but disappeared from the modern rolodex of musical genres. I might be too young to complain about the lack of soul in modern music, but hey, even old people are right from time to time. I could hardly offer up an argument against this man’s musical merits (did you see that list?), but it seems to me that front-man should be removed from his list of accomplishments. This whole scenario reminds me of one of my favorite musical jokes. What’s the last thing the drummer said to his band? “Hey guys, let’s play some of my stuff.” I don’t think anybody’s making the case that you don’t need drummers (except maybe The Decemberists), the point is, basically, know your role.

Most of Leonhart’s solo career is significantly less funky, and from what I can tell, largely forgettable. Sadly, this seems to be the case for Seahorse and the Storyteller as well. The LP is something of a concept album; while not every song is specifically nautically themed, most are. Starting off with the title track, I was still excited with my selection. They sound sort of like a funkier Super Furry Animals replete with Leonhart’s Gruff vocals. The wandering bass and horn flares are most enjoyable -- not a bad start. But directly following is possibly the most annoying track on the disc, “Have You Met Martina?” I can just see these guys on stage introducing the band in typical fashion with this track as the puzzlingly overextended finale. Like most of this album, that performance seems like it would be infinitely more entertaining live.

Musically, it’s pretty solid as you might guess, it’s mostly the lyrics and vocal melodies that run this ship aground. “The Story of Echo Lake” and “Dreams of an Aquarian” are definite highlights, not only as the best tracks but also as essentially the only tracks that break the mold cast by the rest of the album. “Echo Lake” is less funky and more dreamlike in accordance with Leonhart’s back catalogue, it’s also easily the best chorus and the least forcibly aquatic material. “Dreams” stands out as the best vocal effort, but it’s sadly lacking in the funk department.

If they had abandoned the nautical theme, the album probably would have benefited. As it stands, by the time we get to “Here Comes the Dragonfish,” I’m so thoroughly sick of it all that I can hardly stand to finish. While I praise the Avramina 7 for their contribution to the funk revival, it’s difficult to find much else worthy of praising. If you like goofball jam bands, then this crew might just float your boat, but for me, I’d rather listen to the Spongebob theme a dozen times.