by Howard Campbell
Kingston, Jamaica – Though he left Jamaica a decade ago for so-called greener pastures, singer Milton Blake maintained his passion for reggae music and the message of Rastafari. They feature prominently on Temporary Obstacles, his second album, which is scheduled for release in early 2020.
Blake lives in Cleveland, Ohio, a Midwest blue-collar city with strong ties to rock and country music. It also has a small, but vibrant reggae community.
He wrote all 12 songs on the album, something he believes is critical for a serious artist.
“When you write your songs, it gives the listener an opportunity to listen to your beliefs. These songs have substance an’ great messages,” said Blake.
Trumpet Sound, a call for Rasta unity and the anti-war Nuclear Age are two of the songs from Temporary Obstacles which is produced by Lloyd Dennis, a London-based music industry veteran who operates Pickout Records. Dennis had a massive hit song in the late 1980s with Cover Me by Tinga Stewart and Ninjaman.
Rub-A-Dub Style, Blake’s latest single, is produced by Turbulence International, a South Florida label operated by Alvin Ricketts.
Temporary Obstacles will be the second album for Blake, who has been recording since the early 1990s. His first album, People Need Jah, was released in 2013.
Blake is from Central Village, a working-class community located near Spanish Town in Jamaica’s St. Catherine parish. Over the years, he has recorded for a number of producers including guitarist Dwight Pinkney and Philip “Fatis” Burrell.
Backed by his River Nile Band, he has performed in other sections of the Midwest and US East Coast.
