Sam Blasucci :: ALL BLUE
Photo: Nicole Hawkins & Bryce Makela
Photo: Nicole Hawkins
A follow-up to 2024’s sophomore album “Real Life Thing", Los Angeles, California-based multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, producer, and half of the duo Mapache, Sam Blasucci, grew up submerged in the sonic soundscapes with his father, who was a prominent musician during his childhood. We spoke to the musician last fall on the Self Portrait Gospel Podcast about his unique upbringing on the West Coast, his experience of embracing a separate identity outside of Mapache, and several other details that make the songwriter’s overall vibe this vibrant collage of contagious ‘California Dreamin’ that we know it is. A lyrical location that inspires as much as it expires, folks who eagerly embrace its cosmic culture, Blasucci consciously connects the dreamy dots in a way that is both atmospheric and archaeological. Returning to the humble hemisphere with another eager addition to the poetic puzzle that is Blasucci, the musician delivers a compelling collection of songs that effortlessly echo the essence of Jonathan Richman and Neil Young in one moment, and the new wave whispers of atmospheric attitude in another. “ALL BLUE” is a fundamental freeway into the shadows of a spiritual sunset that casts a strong desire to bring meditative melody and vulnerable vocals to the forefront for anyone willing to answer the kinetic knocks of pure positivity.
“This record has 9 lives — each one with its own angels and demons.”
Decorated in dizzying dynamics and mysterious memories, Blasucci takes his listeners on an exotic journey where the destination is only a partial glimpse into the radical features that make up this album’s captivating concept. Acting as writer and producer, you can feel the sonic sincerity and intense intimacy pouring from the pores of every track as the sun collides with the moon in an epic evocation of the senses. As I write this review, the ancient summer sun of Tennessee is blazing high above where the biblical birds dare to fly, and the world and its people are matching fists, where words and pulverizing politics come from the lips of those eager to express the evils of man in its truest form. I suppose we take most things for granted these days, especially music, as its main identity is to hang out behind the scenes, serving as a backdrop, but its other poetic purpose is far greater. Blasucci wastes no time, as every note, melodic moment, and electrifying entry is poetically precious and pushed through with great sonic strength. “This record has 9 lives — each one with its own angels and demons,” says Blasucci about each track featured on the album. From the complicated magic that lurks inside the historical caves of Laurel Canyon to LA’s iconicism on the singing subconscious, “ALL BLUE” speaks from the heart and brings people together in a way that expands on the critical connection of community from a special space. Featuring tracks such as “ICE BLUE,” “SHADOWS", and the album’s sobering opener “CRYING,” if you were to take a core sample of the album’s captivating center, you would ultimately find samples of disco, R&B, and the softness of songwriting solace.
