An unswervingly honest, highly personal album, Darker Than Blue instils Kwesi Darko aka Blue Daisy’s own experiences into a cinematic meditation on the clash between the forces of dark and light, yin and yang, good and evil.

Wrestling with inner and outer demons, Blue Daisy leads us to an intense downward spiral of a journey fueled by uncomfortable truths, sleepless nights, love, loss, religion, faith and doubt. Darker Than Blue takes in anything from brooding rock, intense rap, glimpses of blues, with a punk attitude there’s a veritable plethora of sounds and influences.

It’s an album that’s constantly on the move with songs such as “My Heart”; a slow, creepy track that sets an excellent mood for the record, and “Daydreaming”; with its upbeat sound but with lyrics that speak of death is a clever juxtaposition that he pulls off with aplomb.

Recent single “Alone” features an eerie production, as well as Blue Daisy dark tones, can potentially leave you feeling a little uneasy, but not for too long though as Connie Constance delicate vocals adds a certain warmth to the track. Make sure to listen to the title track “Darker Than Blue”, ” Heroine”, “We’re All Gonna Die” and “Six Days” that perfectly showcase the range of sounds that he captures on the album.

The closing track titled “You And Me,”a slowly placed cut that shines in its simplicity and is one of the album’s best.

It’s always great to hear an artist challenge the boundaries set in music and  Blue Daisy’s spontaneous and unpredictable nature makes his sound impossible to pigeonhole.

This is an album worth investing some time in as it may take a few plays before its brilliance seeps into the listener’s mind. Blue Daisy has created an album that is captivating and enigmatic full of unraveling suspense and emotion.

A must listen.

8/10