David Seume self-released his debut album, It Is What It Is, on the label he started, Grassland Records in December 2008. The distinctive music found on this album, ranging from the spiritually and politically motivated, “The Fire,” to the delightfully upbeat, “Will Ya Be My Friend,” triumphantly finds a rare balance of dark and light, melancholy and sweetness. He shakes off genres by innovatively infusing rock ‘n’ roll with the sounds of soul and the lyrics of a natural-born poet. All the while, the vocabulary of his music seduces you with lyrics like: “If love is the answer, why don’t we make it? We’re too busy lying, not getting naked.”On top of performing vocals, guitars, keyboards, and several other instruments on the album, Seume also produced, recorded, and mixed every track. Since he’s written all the songs and lyrics too, it’s no exaggeration to say that he’s put everything he has into this record. “Doing things yourself has its difficulties, but you learn as you go and are freed to direct the art” he points out.His DIY approach has fostered a top notch debut record and a growing grassroots following of his unprocessed, yet polished, sound of rock ‘n’ soul.