"A shy young Texan with a powerful high tenor . . . electrifying . . ."
"Musical honors go to William Blake . . . and every note that comes from his lips."
"When he lets loose, Blake has a voice that could shatter stemware."
"Although he clearly has the talent to sing anything he puts his mind to, his heart is in R&B and it shows. He has such a unique and powerful instrument, and by singing soul and R&B, he truly allows it to shine. Each phrase is heartfelt and infused with emotion, and the freedom to play with the melody allows him to express himself in ways that other styles of music might not."
On his latest CD, Live from New York City, pop singer William Blake knocks it out of the park. Recorded live at Birdland, it is a potent display of soulful sing-ing that validates what the fuss is all about. Fusing R&B with assorted pop tunes that seem to get better with each song, he shows the promise of someone bound for glory.
While many cabaret shows are designed around thematic concepts or tributes to the American Songbook and its writers, it takes guts to buck the trend. Well, buck, Blake! He is his own person, musically. Not once does he compromise who he is in this snippet of an album (there are only eight tracks). He also does not pander to anybody’s how-to rules. His soulful pop tenor interprets every tune with brassy intelligence and a rhythmic sensibility usually found on more advanced disks. Blake’s work with outstanding Musical Director Michael Thomas Murray, along with a guitarist, drummer and bassist (and Murray on backup vocals), makes for a solid, contemporary album sung with clarity and confidence.
Vocally, at times, he recalls Michael Jackson. Too, when he opens up and lets his voice soar, he occasionally recalls Patti LaBelle. Whatever. Whoever. Above all, William Blake is still himself. While he may not be a subtle, intimate crooner, like some more lauded, seasoned cabaret greats, he consistently stays true to who he is artistically. And that sets him apart and counts for something these days.
There are several outstanding highlights on the CD. The rousing, pull-out-all-the-stops opener, “I Want to Take You Higher,” sets the tone for what follows. On the album’s best cut, he joins a yearning “Can I Go On?” with a thrilling “If You Don’t Know Me by Now,” where the Jackson comparison is particularly evident. Here, his passionate singing and rhythmic phrasing give the songs a gospel-like flavor that is definitive of soul music and he’s riveting with pleading vocal catches between syllables. The interpretation becomes searingly personal. “Midnight Train to Georgia” perfectly caps this live set with the promise of what lies ahead. And, it sounds like there’s a lot to look forward to from this relatively new kid on the block.
William Blake is an extraordinary talent with a special voice. From the first time I heard him years ago as a singing waiter, I knew he would be a major star. His new CD is funky and powerful and upon hearing it for the first time, I immediately played it again (and wished it had more cuts on it). Recently hearing him do a small theatrical piece in an original songwriter's show, I was impressed with his beautiful acting chops and theater style delivery. He made me cry. He can sing anything from punk to funk to jazz to blues and who knew...even theater. He's the real deal! To me, he is a MUST SEE!
Ann Hampton Callaway teamed up with William Blake on a wailing “At Last,” and at last look, the roof was still on the building, but just barely. Wow!
Inspirational stories are few and far between for those who toil away in the performing arts. Along the desolate road to success, each performer is met with any number of naysayers, has-beens and never-weres. Frankly, it's daunting.
However, all obstacles are but stepping stones in the pursuit of passion. William Blake has been hurdling each one without looking back.
His biggest finish came on May 2, 2011, at the world-famous Birdland jazz club in New York City. Blake was the headliner, celebrating the release of his album Live From New York City, and playing to a jubilant crowd with an electric energy.
The band ascended to the stage. The crowd pulsed with excitement. Host Jim Caruso, a native Texan and former Dallasite, made his entrance. The crowd went wild. Caruso, a legend in the Broadway and cabaret world, proceeded to gush about the evening's headliner. And why shouldn't he?
Blake deserves every bit of it. But to understand why, let’s go back nearly a decade.
It was 2002 when Blake, a Dallas native, awaited the results of Southern Methodist University’s Mustang Idol competition. He made runner-up. The disappointment of not taking first might dash dreams of some. But not Blake.
At the goading of friends and family—isn't that how it always happens?—Blake auditioned for season four of American Idol in Orlando. He didn't make it through to L.A. At least, not on the first audition. Flashing the plucky never-say-die attitude that would become arguably his greatest attribute, Blake followed the auditions and tried again in New Orleans.
And he made it through.
Once in Los Angeles, he found himself in a group with eventual sixth place finalist Constantine Maroulis. Blake performed admirably but didn't make it to the final rounds.
Not that he lost any sleep over it as, like so many former Idol contestants, he expresses an open distaste for the Idol process.
"I just did it to shut people up," he says.
That’s a theme that would drive him for years to come.
Returning to Dallas after Idol, Blake started to sing at clubs around town, including the now-closed Bill's Hideaway, and worked with people such as Buddy Shanahan and Paul Allen. He appeared in productions with Uptown Players, Garland Summer Musicals, Contemporary Theatre of Dallas and Echo Theatre, among others.
After awhile, he decided it was time—like so many performers before him—to move to New York and see if he could do it. But unlike many others, he had an "in" at the famous club Don't Tell Mama, where he was able to get a job—the most important and oft undervalued aspect of "making it" in a city like New York.
Once in New York, Blake's theme became perseverance. Many people who move to New York—or Los Angeles for that matter—don't understand not just how hard it is to live, but how hard you have to work on top of a job, or jobs, to get your name out there, to get any kind of gig or opportunities to hone the craft.
William Blake did it all. As a vocalist, he hit every open mic possible: Don't Tell Mama, Birdland, the Duplex, etc.
Eventually one night, Blake was singing at Birdland's weekly open mic, Jim Caruso's Cast Party. After his turn, none other than legendary jazz musician Michael Feinstein walked up to him and said, "You're wonderful!"
And soon enough, Blake received a call from ASCAP, who asked if he'd be interested in singing three songs in a show called Standard Time with Michael Feinstein...at Carnegie Hall.
"What do you say? No?" Blake asks. "Of course you say yes!"
Playing a show at Carnegie Hall may qualify as the career achievement for most people. But Blake was only getting started.
When Caruso was asked to put on a "Best Of" Cast Party show at Birdland, the lineup was quickly filled with a who's who of the jazz, cabaret and Broadway world: Music Director (and another native Texan) Billy Stritch, Karen Ziemba, Hinton Battle, Larry Gatlin, Christopher Sieber, Sally Mayes, Chita Rivera, Liza Minnelli...and William Blake.
He got a standing ovation.
Blake can now count the likes of Rivera and Minnelli among his fans. In Rivera’s words, according to Blake: "Of my gosh. Oh my gosh. You were wonderful!" Minnelli echoed the sentiments.
Following that appearance, Blake, with his musical director Michael Thomas Murray and producer Stephen Wilde, recorded a live album.
And so it was, on May 2 at Birdland, William Blake entered the stage to thunderous applause and gave an unforgettable performance in celebration of the release of that album.
Beyond controlling his soulful tenor voice with the precision of a Swiss watchmaker, Blake's most immediately noticeable attribute is his intensely energetic presence. The second he steps on stage, it is his. He was born there, he owns it.
The evening was a roadmap of great R&B, William's favorite music. Along the way, he, Murray, and the superb band they'd assembled for the show treated the audience to hits such as "I Want To Take You Higher," "Hard to Handle," "Cry to Me," and a soulful arrangement of The Band's "The Weight."
Throughout the evening, Blake led the audience on a journey with him—not just musically, but in true cabaret fashion, through his story.
In the world of scripted monologues and half-hearted emotion, Blake stands apart. Showing that this evening meant more to him than anyone else, Blake consistently let the audience in, past the simple performer, and gave them a look at the man, the struggle, the journey. During the lead-up to "If You Don't Know Me By Now," tears fought their way through. He slyly segued into the song, but the emotion pouring forth infected the entire room. And all at once, anyone who had resisted him to that point was absolutely smitten.
His love and passion for performance, that passion that people spend a lifetime pursuing, all in one instant was on full display for the world to see. And it was inspirational.
And as if that hadn't been enough, the evening climaxed with his dedication to the audience, with what could possibly be the greatest rendition of Joe Cocker's cover of The Beatles' "With A Little Help From My Friends" that anyone in the audience had ever heard. Not a single person was still in their seat at the end of the song, and goosebumps abounded.
Applause in the performing arts occupies a wide space on a sliding scale. There's the polite applause that accompanies cheering for friends and loved ones, or just plain being polite. And then there's that emotional applause, an involuntary reaction to truly being moved.
That's the applause William Blake received at Birdland. The crowd went wild for him.
The combination of his emotionally honest, endearing narrative with his honey-soaked vocals is intoxicating and inspiring.
William Blake is an easy guy to cheer for. This story easily could have been twice or even three times as long and it still wouldn't have encompassed his story, tales about his old stomping grounds in Dallas, more of his trials and tribulations in New York, his ascent through the ranks of cabaret culture, or the passion with which he performs.
But the best endorsement of William Blake, the best way for someone to hear the sorry and witness the passion, is first hand. And luckily, there are plenty of opportunities.
In June, Live from New York City will be available online, including iTunes and through the record company Cavern Records' website. And for anyone traveling to New York, check out Blake at Birdland or anywhere else he might be playing.
You'll be glad you did. For though William Blake is himself a grounded individual, his star is on the rise. And you don't want to miss this ride.