A Watched Pot
Bleu
July 14, 2009
Artist Garage
Bleu
July 14, 2009
Artist Garage
Bleu is an alternative musician from the Boston area. He’s been doing some incredible work for quite awhile and is a recognized force in the indie scene. He’s worked with a lot of accomplished acts (Hanson, Dan Wilson, Jonas Brothers, etc.) and has received good critiques about his own work. “A Watched Pot” marks his 5th (6th if you count the Redhead Re-release) in 10 years. And while people might debate on if this is his best album to date, there can not really be any doubt that it is Bleu’s most consistent album to date. And to me, it’s also my favorite.
The opening track Save Me has a very cool modern rock feel to it and the whole arrangement sounds pretty exciting. Bleu had a hand in the production for the album, and as usual the songwriters know what to do with their work. Cause the production and mixing was done very tastefully.
The intro of Come ‘N Go eases you into a very ambitious piece of art. I guess I’ve always seen Bleu as an artist rather as a musician per se. And the way the different parts of the song interact with each other I can only say that this perception is affirmed for me. Highly impressive.
While I actually do believe in a thing called love, the song No Such Thing As Love has a 60s like quality to it. Or actually 60s/70s as it combines the harmonies that were popular in the times of the Beatles and the balladeerism (is that even a word, well, it is now) of the 70s folk singers. Those two periods happen to be where my musical roots lie, so how can I not like this song? It’s just damn good.
Boy Meets Girl is not the most imaginative title, and the story of the song is quite simple too. But the song’s just so damn catchy. Perfect radio single and while it might not be Bleu’s best track on this album it sure is one of the most fun tracks on “A Watched Pot”.
I was caught off guard by the intro, and the enthusiasm of the rock & roll in Kiss Me. Not what I expected, but I sure love it. Get those shoes dusted off and lets get back on the dance floor. Rock & roll is here to stay. If I may, please release this as a radio single because there’s no way anyone is going to resist this one.
Despite of some explicit language, I Won’t Fuck You Over (This Time) is a pretty gentle, bluesy track. The contrast is interesting and combines times past with times of present, musically. I can hear some Gary Moore/Commodores-era pop/blues in the song but yet the song sounds very modern. Bleu gets a chance to show off his excellent vocal skills in this impressive song.
When The Lights Go Out is my favorite song on the album. It has a very indie feel to it, and the combination with Sandra McCracken’s voice is absolutely perfect. The song just hit me right off the bat and I felt touched. Not sure how or why, but there’s something about the song that just makes me feel it. And to me, THAT is music.
The acoustic-based What Now has a very stripped, almost demo-like feel to it. This also makes it very personal, very intimate, almost like it’s performed just for you. It’s a very nice addition to the album, but it would’ve also served well as a bonus track.
This song is one that Bleu penned with Hanson for their latest album “The Walk”. He re-recorded his own version for his own album, and frankly, Bleu makes the song come to life much more than Hanson does. This version is so much more intense and really taps into the epic sound that the song deserves.
One Day isn’t one of my favorite tracks on the album but I do have to say that lyrically it might be one of the best songs on the album. Also Bleu’s vocal performance is stellar. I just didn’t get the same connection with this song.
What Kinda Man again has a softer, bluesier sound. At first this was the only track on the album I didn’t care for too much, but it’s starting to grow on me. The introspective lyrics and subtle arrangement are slowly drawing me in, and everytime I listen to What Kinda Man Am I the song gets a little more interesting.
The album ends with the pretty The Penguin Song. There is something Beatlesque in it but yet it’s also quite different. Normally I’m not too big on songs that I’m not quite sure what to think of, but in this case that might be the song’s strength. Because it makes it an imaginitive song that can take you in all sorts of directions.
I know I’ve been extremely positive for most of the review and I realize it’s a pretty personal view I talk about. But it means something that this record has the ability to envoke emotions and strong enthusiasm. So Bleu must be doing something right. And I’m not the only one hearing it as many people seem to appreciate his particular skills. It’s therefore that I can say with conviction that Bleu has delivered another testimony of his impressive musicality.
The opening track Save Me has a very cool modern rock feel to it and the whole arrangement sounds pretty exciting. Bleu had a hand in the production for the album, and as usual the songwriters know what to do with their work. Cause the production and mixing was done very tastefully.
The intro of Come ‘N Go eases you into a very ambitious piece of art. I guess I’ve always seen Bleu as an artist rather as a musician per se. And the way the different parts of the song interact with each other I can only say that this perception is affirmed for me. Highly impressive.
While I actually do believe in a thing called love, the song No Such Thing As Love has a 60s like quality to it. Or actually 60s/70s as it combines the harmonies that were popular in the times of the Beatles and the balladeerism (is that even a word, well, it is now) of the 70s folk singers. Those two periods happen to be where my musical roots lie, so how can I not like this song? It’s just damn good.
Boy Meets Girl is not the most imaginative title, and the story of the song is quite simple too. But the song’s just so damn catchy. Perfect radio single and while it might not be Bleu’s best track on this album it sure is one of the most fun tracks on “A Watched Pot”.
I was caught off guard by the intro, and the enthusiasm of the rock & roll in Kiss Me. Not what I expected, but I sure love it. Get those shoes dusted off and lets get back on the dance floor. Rock & roll is here to stay. If I may, please release this as a radio single because there’s no way anyone is going to resist this one.
Despite of some explicit language, I Won’t Fuck You Over (This Time) is a pretty gentle, bluesy track. The contrast is interesting and combines times past with times of present, musically. I can hear some Gary Moore/Commodores-era pop/blues in the song but yet the song sounds very modern. Bleu gets a chance to show off his excellent vocal skills in this impressive song.
When The Lights Go Out is my favorite song on the album. It has a very indie feel to it, and the combination with Sandra McCracken’s voice is absolutely perfect. The song just hit me right off the bat and I felt touched. Not sure how or why, but there’s something about the song that just makes me feel it. And to me, THAT is music.
The acoustic-based What Now has a very stripped, almost demo-like feel to it. This also makes it very personal, very intimate, almost like it’s performed just for you. It’s a very nice addition to the album, but it would’ve also served well as a bonus track.
This song is one that Bleu penned with Hanson for their latest album “The Walk”. He re-recorded his own version for his own album, and frankly, Bleu makes the song come to life much more than Hanson does. This version is so much more intense and really taps into the epic sound that the song deserves.
One Day isn’t one of my favorite tracks on the album but I do have to say that lyrically it might be one of the best songs on the album. Also Bleu’s vocal performance is stellar. I just didn’t get the same connection with this song.
What Kinda Man again has a softer, bluesier sound. At first this was the only track on the album I didn’t care for too much, but it’s starting to grow on me. The introspective lyrics and subtle arrangement are slowly drawing me in, and everytime I listen to What Kinda Man Am I the song gets a little more interesting.
The album ends with the pretty The Penguin Song. There is something Beatlesque in it but yet it’s also quite different. Normally I’m not too big on songs that I’m not quite sure what to think of, but in this case that might be the song’s strength. Because it makes it an imaginitive song that can take you in all sorts of directions.
I know I’ve been extremely positive for most of the review and I realize it’s a pretty personal view I talk about. But it means something that this record has the ability to envoke emotions and strong enthusiasm. So Bleu must be doing something right. And I’m not the only one hearing it as many people seem to appreciate his particular skills. It’s therefore that I can say with conviction that Bleu has delivered another testimony of his impressive musicality.
RSS Feed
