Bleu Stroud - Blue Town
So-Cal’s 18-year-old Bleu Stroud struts her prodigious talent on “Blue Town,” her new single/music video.
Bleu Stroud
Bleu Stroud is frequently compared to artists like Jewel, Joni Mitchell, and Taylor Swift, and while the comparisons are certainly valid, they fail to highlight the velvety clarity and allure of her voice. There’s a supercharged electrifying energy to her tones, a melodic frisson, that elevates her above the run-of-the-mill derivative voices presently extant.
Without formal training, she mastered the 12-string guitar, ukulele, banjo, piano, and guitar. She began playing the latter instrument when she was 8-years-old, followed by writing her first song. As she matured, her songwriting developed, embracing topics such as love, pain, self-trust, hope, and acceptance.
Essentially, Bleu’s music fuses country and pop elements into a buff, ground zero sound rife with smooth melodies, quirky lyrics, and infectious rhythms. She’s shared the stage with Nancy Wilson of Heart fame, and LeAnn Rimes. At the present juncture, Bleu is working with producer Mark Dutton on her debut album, a collection of 10 original tunes composed by Bleu.
“Blue Town” opens on Bleu’s luscious voice accompanied by oozing colors, soft and slow. A crisp snare beat kicks the melody off, as it flows into a contagious country-pop tune full of sparkling guitars riding a pulsing bass line. At first, it’s the rhythm that captivates you, then the creamy jangling guitars catch your attention. Finally, you realize the core essence of the song is Bleu’s gorgeously silky voice, streaming pure and crystalline, mesmerizing and oh, so honeyed and gratifying.
There’s a wickedly yummy push to the harmonics, infusing the song with cashmere textures, along with lush surface colors bordering on translucence.
The video, directed by Mark Dutton and Stephen Morton, is cool and stylish, with close ups of Bleu shifting to Bleu in a variety of settings, playing her guitar and singing. Frankly, the sumptuous visuals take a back seat to the music and the irresistible gravitational pull of Bleu’s voice.
“Blue Town” surpasses superb and enters the rarified realm of superlative. Bleu Stroud doesn’t just have it going on, she’s meant to be a superstar. She’s that good.
