Global Greenery

Trevor Green

Sacred Seed (Trevor Green Music, 2011)

“World Folk Rock” is the way Trevor Green’s music is described in the promotional materials for this CD, but categorization is as difficult as the man himself is skilled. When he’s not busking in front of entranced passersby in downtown Huntington Beach, California, Trevor Green is likely to be recording music for a movie soundtrack, playing a major festival somewhere in the western U.S. or brainstorming new and innovative ways to combine the many instruments he plays.

On Sacred Seed he shows how honed his chops are on guitars, didgeridoo, banjo, ukulele, percussion and stompbox, and if such an array suggests that Green’s musical mind is filled with thoughts well beyond his Southern California upbringing, the sonic journey he takes you on confirms it. Acoustic guitar and didgeridoo are the most recurring elements, and around these are built rhythms and melodies accessible enough for radio airplay yet brimming with accentuated subtleties drawn from indie rock, bluegrass, Manding griot music, Sufi trance states, flamenco, reggae and perhaps American and Australian indigenous peoples joining a front porch jam somewhere in Appalachia.

What I’m trying to say in my characteristically awkward manner is that Sacred Seed is fusion music that will appeal to those with an ear for international grooves, lovers of intimate singer/songwriter types and anyone looking for an expert blend of the heartfelt and the adventurous.

Vocally, Green is equal parts balladeer, shaman and hipster, and in addition to his own array of instrumentation he enlists the able assistance of Larry Salzman (percussion), Melissa Hasin (cello) and Brent Brandon (Hammond organ) to round out his musical vision. I particularly like the sparsely twangy funk of “Wish of Peace,” the brooding, bluesy stomp that propels “In Waiting” and the lyrically vivid title track, but the whole album is pretty much guaranteed to grow on you. Take my advice and go Green.

Buy Sacred Seed