AJ Blakeney - ​Falling Blue

AJ Blakeney

​Falling Blue
self-released; 2018

​3.4 out of 5

By Dan Weston

DC native AJ Blakeney is a classically trained vocalist who studied at Bowie State University where he earned his BA in vocal performance. He recently released a concept album entitled Falling Blue about overcoming depression and heartbreak. I liked his singing style quite a bit. The one thing that made me scratch my head was that the production went from what sounds like something recorded on an iPhone at times to something that could be from a studio.

After an a cappella intro which was nice he goes into “Time With You.” A guitar plays with a beat which sounds like it has almost no low or mid frequencies. His vocals however are full. The singing was great but I just wasn’t exactly sure what was going on with the music.

“Caught off Guard” however sounded full and was the highlight in my opinion. The song has a smooth R&B type feel to it and a killer hook. “Falling Blue” and “Hello Beautiful Life” is mostly just vocals because the music takes a turn for the lo-fi. Up next is the hopeful yet melancholy “Tears on My Pillow” which comes back with robust, full sounding production. The other highlight was “You’re The Reason” while “When You Smile” reverts into lo-fi mode.

Blakeney has some talent as a vocalist and songwriter but I think his next step would be to team up with a producer who can assist with engineering and even more importantly the consistency of the aesthetic qualities.

Blakeney is a young man with talent, ambition and passion but he is also in the embryonic stage of his career. I think surrounding himself with the right people who can tap on his potential is something he should be focusing on while continuing to hone in on his own unique skill set. I hope to hear more from him soon.

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