Johnny Blue excels on genre-diverse EP, "Until Then"
Back with an immersive new EP titled Until Then, Johnny Blue has stepped it up a few notches on this latest release. Please read on for our full review of the record, as well as a background on the artist.
Based out of Toronto, Johnny Blue’s unique style is one that immediately caught our attention. Introducing a different take on Hip Hop, Jazz, and glimmers of R&B, his second EP Until Then is equal parts gritty and original in its quest to blend these genres. While this was our introduction to the artist, he’s completely blown us away with this effort, and we can’t wait for everyone out there to give it a spin.
At just four total tracks, spanning right around 10 minutes even, Johnny Blue spends no time building up to a climax. Right on the opener “Eyes On The Prize”, he transports the listener into his production laden world and opens himself up with hard hitting lyrics. Staying vulnerable and detailing his internal battles, the complex themes touched upon are as impressive as the production on the record. Filled with so many atmospheric elements and artistic touches, you’ll experience zero filler or downtime on Until Then.
As much as we’ve loved this record, there’s no way that we could write the review without paying close attention to the production and instrumentation side of things. Being slightly reminiscent of modern jazz groups like BADBADNOTGOOD or Snarky Puppy, the downtempo instrumentation added the ideal amount of emotion and suspense into these songs. It steers away from the overly poppy aspect and adds in layers that keep focus on his lyrical delivery, all the while staying interesting sonically.
Wrapping it up though and trying not to give too much else away, every moment on Until Then was an experience and has us beyond excited to follow along with Johnny Blue’s further releases. We highly recommend giving this EP a listen, but don’t be afraid to dig into the rest as well. You can listen, follow along, and stay tuned for everything else by checking out the links below. Enjoy!
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