Over the years Bleu McAuley has become a touchstone for several high profile collaborations with pop’s brightest stars. He’s also been a songwriter and producer for tons of pop artists (Rooney, Ryan Adams and John Mayer). As a driving force behind L.E.O. and The Major Labels, it’s about time we heard a solo – after all Redhead was released in 2003 and due to label problems, only now we get to A Watched Pot. All this pent up creativity can frustrate many artists, just look at what happened to The Smashing Pumpkins or Axl Rose. Fortunately this is worth the wait as this watched pot boils over with passionate melodies and dramatic energy. Opening with the expansive epic “Save Me,” Bleu chronicles his journey through disappointments, it’s a signature tune with a great big sticky hook in the chorus. The production is flawless and is full of uplifting crescendos like in “Come N’ Go” and for you L.E.O. fans a very lovely Lynne-ish “No Such Thing As Love” is as strong as anything The Secret Powers did earlier this year. Bleu’s approaches are very commercial and “Kiss Me” takes a note from vintage George Michael. The demons of a bad relationship, and blues pop take over “I Won’t F**k You Over” and make it another catchy must-listen, as well as the reason it’s got an advisory sticker. Another highlight is the inspirational “One Day” with a soaring melody. It’s not perfect, as the weariness of “What Now?” and “What Kind of Man Am I?”gets a bit overwrought. It doesn’t stay that way as “The Penguin Song” gets so sweet it would make Paul McCartney pucker. For the most part, this album is a strong contender for top ten of 2009 consideration. It comes out July 14th everywhere. Listen below for a sample!