Artist: The Blue Project
Album: The Blue Project
Genre: Blue, Classic Rock

Danny Petroni’s Blue Project is a heady undertaking with a hefty cast of musicians contributing to “the sound of Asbury Park,” where so many of music’s greats have resided. From the classic rock opus in “God Of War” to the smooth and bluesy “Mouse In The House,” The Blue Project’s recent self-titled release spans many of rock’s various niches and sub-genres with arresting instrumentation and a vocal approach that stacks up well with blues rock’s best.

The Blue Project was born out of Hurricane Sandy’s aftermath, as 2012’s deadliest and most destructive hurricane left most of the eastern United States in shambles and with little hope. The group’s founder, Danny Petroni, recently explained to us, “After Sandy, most of all the Jersey shore venues were destroyed or needed to be rebuilt. There wasn’t a place to perform. It was overwhelming; people’s houses were gone, neighborhoods gone. We played a few benefits but musicians were out of work, people lost jobs and their homes. I didn’t know what to do, I felt so powerless. The Blue Project was born. It was my little micro economic project to get local musicians and music production in play.”

This like-minded collective came together with one goal and that goal that they shared is evident in their music. Their cohesiveness is key and for an inaugural release, you would think that these musicians had been working together for years prior to that 2012 disaster. One of the album’s best aspects is its timeless feel. It certainly doesn’t come across as an album released in 2014 and I think that’s testament to these musicians’ roots and initial influences from some of the greats that we’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to or seeing live. B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, and Howlin Wolf of course come to mind.

Even as enjoyable and fitting as the vocals are, I found myself enjoying the instrumental moments even more so. “Cracker Jack” and “Diminishing Returns” are both simple in a sense but it’s very easy to get immersed in the instrumentation. The only drawback, however, is that the lack of vocals make it easier to focus on the production and there’s a slight buzzing throughout the songs that can get rather distracting id you let it get to you.

If you’re looking for a solid blues rock release with a lot of players contributing to extensive layers of instrumentation, The Blues Project has you covered. There’s groove, there’s attitude, there’s horns, there’s smooth and relaxing moments, there’s a lot of tongue-in-cheek lyrical content, and it all makes for one fun-filled, 47-minute jam.

SCORE: 7.8/10
Review written by: Brian Lion — (Follow him on Twitter)

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Brian Leak

Editor-In-Chief. King of forgetting drinks in the freezer. Pop culture pack rat. X-Phile. LOST apologist.

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