Three years removed from his critically acclaimed solo debut, multi-instrumentalist Aaron Frazer wastes no time-shattering expectations. Into The Blue, is a sprawling LP and a daring outing considering the number of ears on Frazer. The modern soul scene is bustling with colorful creatives borrowing from the genre’s rich history, but Frazer doesn’t want to do that. Instead, he grabs for refreshing ways to blend soul tropes with cartoonish exaggerations of surf rock and hip-hop, all carried by Frazer’s acrobatic falsetto. While experimental, Into The Blue can’t help but slide into moments of pure soul, at times boasting with soaring harmonies and doe-eyed love tunes that harken back to Frazer’s 2021 debut. The pressures of a sophomore slump slide off Frazer’s shoulders as easily as his vocals navigate a mountain of influences on this rewarding effort from the trusty member of Durand Jones & The Indications.
There is an inherent innocence in Frazer’s vocals. The way his silky, high-pitched melodies coil around subtle grooves and deliver gentle tales of triumph and loss feels pure and authentic. On Into The Blue, that innocence is replaced with a gritty determination. The rose-tinted vocal layering is as present as ever, but the artist shows maturity by challenging his vocals to find room against the thudding drums of “Fly Away” and dense guitar rifts of “Payback.” While the album is filled with toe-dips into new territories, Frazer’s heart is stubbornly rooted in soul. Even at its most experimental, Into The Blue proudly parades its soulful influences while stretching the limits of what the modern genre could become. Via disco-tinged dance records and slow-burning harmonies, Frazer finds a healthy middle ground between paying homage to his genre and attempting to alter it entirely.
Frazer’s sophomore effort daringly touches on many influences, but lyrically, Frazer stays in his comfort zone. There are moments of pure vulnerability, like in the moving closer “The Fool,” and intimate moments with vivid storytelling, like in “Time Will Tell.” On the other hand, Frazer sticks with the simplistic poetry of soul’s history, but even at these moments, Frazer can’t help but win us over. The nostalgic minimalism of “Perfect Strangers” evokes the innocence missing from the hauntingly beautiful “I Don’t Wanna Stay.” While Frazer dips into classic soul tropes, he refuses to repeat himself. Each song on Into The Blue offers different flavors of the genre and miraculously sounds consistent. Each song glides into the next effortlessly as Frazer toys with the conventions of modern music. He fits eloquent melodies in tight pop structures on “Dime,” while “Easy To Love” is a pure funk outing with thick basslines and groovy harmonies.
Frazer grabs at lofty ideas and turns them into magic on his sprawling yet honed sophomore effort. Into The Blue allows the multi-instrumentalist to explore new ground while keeping one foot planted in his soul roots, twisting the concept of the genre into head-banging rock and sentimental pop. In doing so, Frazer finds the freedom to pen heartfelt songs that feel more personal than he’s ever released before. Into The Blue introduces us to Frazer’s ambitions of redefining the modern soul landscape while reminding us he had a hand in shaping it.
