St Germain – Tourist

TOURIST represented St. Germain’s move to the big league, as his merger of electronic music and jazz found its way to no less than the famed Blue Note. And from the first pulcks of the double bass on “Rose Rouge,” it’s not hard to see why. It sets down an immediate—if familiar—riff for the Marlena Shaw vocals (and, later, a trumpet and saxophone) to float atop. “Montego Bay Spleen” takes a completely different tack and goes for full-on dub, but “So Flute” returns to the house rhythms by featuring a lot of… well, flute, which soon gives way to a more traditional piano line. The Rhodes on “Land Of…” gives off hints of gospel before it settles into a funky groove, while “Latin Note” keeps the Latin-tinged percussion submerged beneath the melodic lines. The blues snippet from John Lee Hooker that undergirds “Sure Thing” offers a nod towards St Germain’s earlier, sample-based work, as does the smooth house of “Pont Des Arts.” The album closes with the mellow one-two of “La Goutte D’Or” and “What Do You Think About.” This album is the equivalent of a blended scotch—goes down smooth and gives you that warm feeling in your tummy.