D Boone “Blue Hues Red Noise” Music Review

   

     Listening to the album “Blue Hues Red Noise” by D Boone was like navigating an emotional rollercoaster. It delved into the complexities of being in a relationship, the yearning for independence, the drive for success, and the challenging journey of overcoming dark moments in life.

     In an interview with Danny Kareem, he shared that music serves as his form of solace, allowing him to process past experiences. He characterizes his songs as snapshots or scenes that capture the essence of human interactions that most all experience. I reached out to D Boone to get a better understanding of who he is and why he chose the title for the album. Here is his response.. 

     “My name is D Boone. I’m from the IE, California. Specifically Corona/Riverside. I’ve been recording music for about 6 and a half years now. I chose the name Blue Hues Red Noise because I feel that best describes me sonically as an artist. The most raw version of myself when I have no agenda and I just make what comes out of me sounds like this album Blue Hues Red Noise.”

 

What Does “Blue Hues Red Noise” mean?

“The Blue Hues part of the title represents the sadder, more somber elements of my music. I think it is always present. I’ve learned to write from a perspective of confliction, pain, confusion, sadness, and struggle. I’m a very hopeful and positive person, but this is just how I like to write and I hope it makes the listener feel seen and understood if they can somehow relate to the feeling I’m writing from. I also feel my ancestors have blessed me with this gift somehow. I don’t have an explanation, but the ability to convey pain in such a way where anyone can feel it like they lived it themselves, I believe that ability comes from those before me. The Red Noise part of the title represents the calming nature of my music. Again this is when I’m just making music that naturally comes out of me and I’m not going for a specific sound. Naturally I gravitate towards making music that’s calm and smooth. I love music that’s fun and uplifting but that doesn’t come naturally to me. I wish it did. I think it would be much easier to show my music to other people who haven’t heard of me but instead I offer something that’s best heard in isolation maybe when you’re overthinking or driving home at night or when you’re too amped up and need to settle yourself. Red Noise is a frequency that calms people. I think my music has that capability.” 

D Boone released his first song titled “Make It” in 2019. Since then, his musical journey has included the release of 11 singles, 2 EPs, and 3 albums. D Boone has a single titled “Laps” which carries an LA coast vibe. In this track, he pays tribute to Nipsey Hussle, showcasing his ability to diversify his music while maintaining his unique sound.

The album is a harmonious blend of sound, emotion, and feeling, serving as a testament to his journey of healing and self-awareness through life’s trials. It touches on universal themes like breakups, reunions, and longing for someone special, making it relatable to everyday experiences. He delves into the desire for love and peace from a partner, yet highlights the importance of choosing oneself in challenging times to reach personal aspirations.

What was your creative process for making the album?

“Making this album was all about making something I would want to hear and doing it on the highest level I could with the resources I had. I had some songs I knew would have to go on this album but everything wasn’t pieced together yet. So I spent 90 days making a song every day. Terrace Martin talked about in an interview the importance of spending time with your instrument. Not just practicing but getting to know your instrument and having a strong relationship. I had to look at myself and be honest and tell myself “you’re not really a professional. You don’t spend time with your instrument.” Part of the reason is I don’t have an instrument. I sing but I’m not a real vocalist. I can build a chord progression but I’m not a real piano player. I can keep time but I’m not a real drummer. So what am I not mediocre at? The answer was writing. So I recorded a new hook or new verse every day for 90 days. By day 80 it began to feel like work and a chore of the day so I decided once I got to 90 I needed to stop. So day 91 I didn’t record anything. On day 92 I had the urge to record again because I had built up a habit and it was easy for me. This was a big part of my process. Once I had too many songs for an album I started to decipher which ones had the best relationship with each other and would create the best unit. I don’t want my album to be a playlist to go shopping from. I’d like the listener to not be able to isolate one song in their mind but when they think of one song they can’t help but think of the one before it or after it. I focused on what songs shared strong identifiable notes that would make the songs play well next to each other. What songs were similar BPM, what songs were the same key, what songs shared neither but gave the same energy? After I was able to piece together every song that had a good relationship with another I had a ten track album. The tracks already fit together well but then I worked with some musicians to make the transitions between songs even more elegant and silky. I have the belief that when I know I have something special, it’ll be special in its most stripped down form and it’s my job to dress it up as much as I possibly can then strip it down again until it’s just right, so you can hear the effort and skill but what makes people love it is its raw specialness that is its true identity. So that’s what I did with each song whether it was adding backgrounds then taking them off. Adding instruments then cutting them short. Adding features then taking them off or moving them around. So on and so forth.”

The lyrics are well-crafted, narrating stories that draw listeners into the scenes D Boone depicts. A standout lyric from his song “Fight with You” is, “Watch what I say, anything can rub you the wrong way, I thought it was a phase, we go through it every day.” This resonates particularly in the context of a relationship, where there’s a constant tension of navigating truths cautiously to avoid conflict, often leading to a sense of isolation even while being in a relationship. In another track, “Need a Win,” he reflects, “I done came too far to go back, but I really don’t want to go on, ain’t nobody gave me a map, so I don’t know where I went wrong.” This lyric captures the essence of perseverance amid uncertainty and the struggle of finding one’s path without guidance.

Who or what inspired this album?

“As far as lyrically there isn’t much cohesiveness between songs. Every song is its own moment and its own feeling. Every day I recorded I brought different burdens to the mic. I can’t say one event or one person inspired the entirety of the album. The lyrics of the songs are the result of me questioning life and the things I see as well as me putting into words new revelations I have. For example “When You Bad.” I was just simply thinking about how corny and lame some women can be but if they look good it don’t matter. Matter of fact I might even pursue them. To think I’d pursue someone I know I don’t want just because she bad. That’s crazy. I think the important thing in that sentiment is that there is no message. You’ll find no call to action in my music. All of it is just an observation. I’m almost never condemning or promoting anything. My only goal is to present the truth in my own unique way by painting the scene of what I see or feel. Another example is “Need A Win.” I actually had just lost a music competition which usually wouldn’t sting so bad, but everything else in my life was also going wrong. I lost my job. I could barely pay my bills. I had loved ones switching up on me. I was by myself most of the time and it just seemed like everything was all going wrong at once and I was taking consecutive losses and I just felt overwhelmed. So I wrote that song from a real place of grief, desperation, and confusion. These are just two examples of how I was inspired to write for this project. Each song has its own story but I try to piece the energy and the music together. Some albums that I think do this really well that I lean heavily on for inspiration is Mos Def Black on Both Sides, Beyonce Renaissance, Chance the Rapper Coloring Book, Roddy Ricch Sorry For Being Antisocial, Leon Thomas Electric Dusk, All the Metro Boomin albums, Silk Sonic An Evening With Silk Sonic, and a lot more I just can’t think of them all. Not to mention the many artists who influence me as an artist outside of just putting albums together but making songs. The list is endless”

What message or feeling do you hope listeners will gain from your music?

“I just hope the listeners are able to slow down with this project. I hope they hear something they hadn’t heard before. I hope I can give someone that feeling of excitement when you find a new artist you think is special. How artists like Teezo Touchdown make you feel when you first hear them or Jordan Ward. How I felt when I first heard Bryson Tiller. I hope I can be that for someone. I hope they enjoy listening to it in its entirety. I hope anyone who has been in any of the situations the songs are about feels seen and knows they aren’t crazy. I hope it makes people question what they see and why they do what they do. More than anything I hope it plays like a show that’s able to keep your attention and at the end you can say you enjoyed it. To God be the glory for blessing me with this gift. I made something I’m very happy with and that’s a blessing enough.”

     The project “Blue Hues Red Noise” is impressively well-conceived, resembling a narrative from a book or a movie. Its cohesiveness and the relatability of the lyrics enhance its storytelling quality. I rate the project a 5 out of 5.