Once on Roc Nation and Def Jam, Elijah Blake is now an independent artist with an equally indie project called Audiology.
On the set, Blake goes for an eclectic sound, mostly rooted in the musicality of yore with tender, personal lyrics. For instance, “Stingy” is full of funky horns and he odes the 80s, an era of music that inspired him, on the first single “Technicolor.” He tells Billboard, “I’m obsessed with the ‘80s era because I feel like that was the most fearless, most progressive period with artists like Michael Jackson, Prince and Janet Jackson. The video will come out shortly. I’ve been in rehearsal for two weeks as the choreography involves some of the iconic dance moments from the ‘80s.
“When It’s Magic” takes a slinky, soulful page from D’Angelo with falsetto realness with piano and organ. The set ends with “Mamma Knows,” a twangy ode to healing from trauma. About the project, Blake explained:
It’s a takeoff on biology, the study of the human anatomy. Right before I left Def Jam, I had to sit back and understand who I was. I was just kind of studying myself because I wanted to be as transparent as possible in writing and singing about what I wanted to say. The last song on the album, “Momma Knows,” deals with something I’m coming to terms with: I was molested as a child. And that’s what this album is talking about. I don’t have all the answers because I’m still learning; these are the issues I’m working on but I’m not quite there yet. There’s a little bit of Elijah DNA in every one of the songs, including the previously released songs “Black & Blue” and “Stingy.” There’s not an executive saying “sing about this, sing about that.” This is me and there’s a confidence that people will hear this go-round.
Stream Blake’s newest project below:
Purchase Audiology HERE.
