After a good listen to Bleu’s fourth studio album (conveniently titled Four), it’s easy to see he’s an inconsistent guy. Bleu, a.k.a. Boston singer/songwriter William James McAuley, has written for many mindless well-known pop artists including Boys Like Girls, Selena Gomez and the Jonas Brothers. His own music holds much more depth, which means it’s much more difficult to classify. The lyrics include tales of doppelgangers, death and falling in love. From pop, rock, country, to even twinges of gospel, Four is all over the place. However, this inconsistency can be a strength in the end.

The album begins with “Singin’ in Tongues,” a rock meets power-pop anthem of sorts. Although the “La La La” chorus can get rather irritating, it’s a catchy and fitting song to start things off. Throughout this song in particular and much of the album, the music sounds like a cheery sing-along but lyrics like “I finally found a warm place/ I think I lost my demons/ but sometimes in the distance I still hear them screaming” tell a much darker story.

Four continues with a myriad of genres, and songs that are decent but not spectacular. “B.O.S.T.O.N,” a catchy country-esque song, shows just how much variety Bleu has in his songwriting arsenal. In contrast, “Dead in the Mornin’” has music not too different from a enthusiastic Baptist minister belting the words that are about, well, being dead in the morning. Although one of the stranger songs off of the album, it shows off Bleu’s fantastic vocal range.

The song “You Catch More Flies with Honey Than Vinegar” is repetitive and could be capped at three minutes rather than 6:24. “When the Shit Hits the Fan” is a slow pop song scarred with the lyrics of a bitter man. Even here, however, Bleu is able to create an enjoyable listen, but not much more than that. As is the case for a good part of the album, much of it is good for a second or third listen but lacking depth in the end.

There are real places of beauty on Four. “In Love With My Lover” displays the passion in his voice. Intentionally or not, the background noise in this song sounds almost as rain — a soothing aspect to the music. A favorite of mine on the album, and one of the most meaningful, this album is worth a listen if only for this song. Another favorite, “Evil Twin,” tells the story of hating who you are becoming. The music and lyrics actually match up on this song and Bleu’s voice is sinister.

After a rather dark album, it is concluded with the song “Everything is Fine”. The introspective song about looking back at life sums up many of the emotions of life and of Four. Bleu’s songwriting skills score with lyrics like “When the years pass like weeds in the grass/ Did your love grow in the looking glass.” With beautiful violins in the background, this song is one of the better choices on the album.

An album qualifies as interesting when it can be split into both a country album about death and a solid pop album. For the most part, it really works. Four has a few bland songs but is filled with more beauty than not. Much of Four revolves around a fascination of death, acceptance of life, love and self-hatred, giving it’s mostly cheerful music with a darker undertone. If only for half of the songs, Bleu is worth the listen.