Blake Carrington
I was on MySpace a couple of weeks ago looking for some new music when I accidentally clicked on the wrong name and went to Blake Carrington’s page. Now I must admit, it’s not that I’m not into R&B, because I usually tend to listen to different music. What I came to find out is that Blake Carrington creates different music. His voice is a mix between Sam Cooke and a young Stevie Wonder. The music on his album Traveling Man is slick and tends to ebb and flow with perfect timing. The singer songwriter even finds a way to incorporate a trumpet into a street R&B song. While on his page, I found that he was playing in lower Manhattan and decided to check if this guy could pull it off live.
Upon entering the stage, the first thing he does is put on a brand new pair of white Nikes– right out of the box! He then announces, “I got to be crispy when I hit the stage.” Carrington went into his song “Shot Up,” and he was singing so hard that I thought the veins in neck were going to burst all over the crowd surrounding the small circular stage at the Remote Lounge. I was pleased to find that his voice is as strong live as it is on record. It was great to see an artist go from velvet smooth tones into soul-sharing chaos. My only complaint was that this particular showcase only allowed him to play two songs. It would have been great to watch a performer like this and experience the smokey five o’clock in the morning jazz vocals until early hours of the morning.
After the show I talked to Carrington and asked him a few of questions.
Tom Duffy: Who are you inspired by?
Blake Carrington: My main influences are my grandmother, Stevie Wonder, Donnie Hathaway, people that have that “gut” sound.
TD: Why do you feel the need or want to make music?
BC: I need to make music because it’s an escape from the trials and tribulations that we all as a people go through on a daily basis. And it grounds me, and makes me a better person.
TD: You have some pretty deep lyrics. Are your songs personal?
BC: I would say that 95 percent of my music is personal. You have to draw from within to make the truest form of art, but there are times when I take the situation someone is in and I put that into my music.
