Ten years ago when he left Jamaica for the United States, singer Milton Blake decided to give music a break as he embarked on a new life in uncharted territory. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, he is preparing to release a new album.
Titled Temporary Obstacles, the set contains 12 songs and is produced by Lloyd Dennis of Pickout Records, a well-known British independent label. His first album, People Need Jah, was released in 2013.
“When I left Jamaica I had to re-group, get a job, an’ si if wi can mek a better life,” he said.
Between his nine-to-five job as a joiner, Blake kept active musically. He improved his guitar skills and learned the rudiments of audio engineering which served him well for Temporary Obstacles.
“Most of the songs I wrote, an’ I may not be a A1 engineer but I was hands-on with some of the songs an’ how they sound. The break help enhance mi as a rounded artist,” he said.
Most of the songs from the upcoming set, like Nuclear Age, Trumpet Sound and Make A Move, carry the roots feel Blake admired as a youth in Central Village, a working-class neighborhood near to Spanish Town, Jamaica’s first capital.
Make A Move features J.R. Blessington, a Jamaican deejay who also lives in Cleveland. Blake’s latest single is Rub a Dub Style, a dance number produced by Turbulence International.
While he considers the Cleveland reggae scene slow, Blake and his River Nile band are fixtures on live shows in that Midwest city. They have also performed in Cincinnati, Chicago, New York and Connecticut.
Rub A Dub Style and Temporary Obstacles complete Blake’s comeback to music. His first song, He Lives, was produced by guitarist Dwight Pinkney of the Roots Radics Band in the early 1990s, followed by Mister Government and Thank You, for the small Henfield Productions label.
During the 1990’s, Blake befriended fellow roots singers Luciano and Mikey General who were key figures in producer Philip “Fattis” Burrell’s Xterminator Records. He recalls recording several songs for Burrell but they were never released.
An official release date for Temporary Obstacles will be announced soon.
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