REVIEW: JANUARY BLU: “TRIP TO THE MOON”

Singer/songwriter January Blu was raised under the Southern California sun in a loving home where music was everywhere, particularly on the piano where her father would serenade her mother, but January also cites the “sound of waves crashing” and “wind gusting,” among her childhood exposure to music.

Growing up, January was bullied at school and used music as her escape. “I was known as the dreamer,” she says. “My mind would daze off into the distance to a land where Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers ruled the world.” To that end, January got involved with children’s theatre where she excelled for several years before she joined the children’s hip-hop dance group JammXkids. It was the group’s goal to encourage children to get active and enjoy a healthy lifestyle and the group appeared on several television shows and even participated in two television specials for The WB, which were hosted by Queen Latifah and Randy Jackson.

January’s new electro-pop single, Trip to the Moon” was written entirely by January herself and produced by Louise Goffin, who’s most known for her work with the legendary Carole King. It begins with what sounds like a light and fluttery guitar loop and a glimmer of synth with very subtle electro-flourishes before January begins singing, “You like me like a red balloon / You like me like a trip to the moon / You like me like a sip of champagne / A video game / A second of fame.” Only once it reaches the bridge, which repeats the last part of the first verse, do the beats finally drop, proving to be dance beats, but they’re very easy breezy beats, not what one would call a banger, although slightly louder beats kick in when it hits the chorus and the song shifts from being a gentle mid-tempo number to an almost frenzied up-tempo delight. “I want to take home sand in my shoes,” January beams during the wholly addictive chorus, which adds snappy electro-percussion to the infectious tune. It’s quite the exquisite production and January’s airy vocals are entirely uplifting and adorable. A very addictive single pop music junkies simply must check out.

https://soundcloud.com/louise_goffin_music/a-trip-to-the-moon-january