Becoming Blue is a duo from Columbia, South Carolina, and have known each other for about sixteen years. Although they worked with music in the past, the formation of Becoming Blue was more recent. That would eventually lead to a full length ten-song self-titled album Becoming Blue.
They mix elements of rock and pop into songs that are usually high energy. The songs felt inviting and often had a sense of familiarity to them. They start the album with “I'm Taking It Back” which is an empowering rock song. It starts with a declaration “So I’m taking it back / My dignity / My power and my pride / No holding back.” The song is dynamic and quickly goes from a subdued verse to a rocking chorus. “This Life” is a power pop rock song. The songs contain intricate guitar work, catchy vocal melodies and a lot of variation. It’s a positive song and at its heart is a love song that displays gratitude and warmth. “I Choose You” is similar in sentiment but this is a warm melancholy song that’s intimate. This also felt like the most pop oriented song. The feeling is a bit saccharine and wholesome but they pull it off if you're in that type of mood. The title track “Becoming Blue” presented another side to the duo. This song mixes in a good amount of synths. The arpeggiated synths twirl around and build to an explosive chorus. This is also very much a pop song and arguably the most single-worthy out of the batch. “It's Not You, It's Me” has a mysterious and haunting verse that leads into a pop worthy chorus. I loved the organ here. The chorus changes the whole mood of the song and feels very empowering similar to other songs on the album. “Capture the Mountain” is a Celtic sounding song that came out of nowhere.The orchestral strings were very well done here. In fact the instrumental aspects might be my favorite of any song. “Road Home” is more subdued and introspective in some ways while “Petunia’ is a stripped back folk song revolving around acoustic guitar and vocals with a heavy sense of nostalgia. “Desert” is a pretty straightforward acoustic song that’s a bit of a slow burn while the closer “I Choose You” is an acoustic version of the previous song. My only critique is that the band jumps around a lot in terms of style. It was hard to find a signature sound when thinking about this album as a whole because it’s so varied. The instrumental aspects were very well done. There’s a lot to appreciate from that alone. Overall, I found these to be well written songs that should appeal to a lot of people. Take a listen.
3 Comments
LaTonya
8/28/2022 05:14:16 pm
I agree with what you wrote about the song Petuna. It does have "a heavy sense of nostalgia." I think a little of that is needed every so often.
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dylann bralley
8/29/2022 09:41:15 am
I really like this album. And the comment of Signature Sound? Give them a minute. Think about Fleetwood Mac.
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dylann bralley
8/29/2022 09:43:06 am
I like this album! Regarding the criticism of no signature style - give them a minute. Think of Fleetwood Mac.
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