William Blake

“Nonetheless, the show stopper of the night belonged to William Blake. He sang "Home" from The Wiz and simply tore it apart. Not by trilling and tossing out run after run like so many would-be Mariah Careys, but by digging deep into the melody, presenting it with feeling and care...and then building and building it until the runs and gospel inflections that others toss in willy nilly made perfect emotional and artistic sense. Blake is a genuine and unique talent and announced he's going to be recording a new album this summer. Everyone who saw him sing this song is unquestionably just as excited to hear it as I am. It's the sort of moment that makes evenings like this memorable and unmissable.” - Michael Giltz

“William Blake is the genial host who usually greets you at the door at Birdland. But regulars at Cast Party know that he's also a blues and soul belter of uncommon skill. With his piercing, full-bodied falsetto and dynamic attack, you'd expect him to be doing tributes to Jimmy Scott or Little Willie John, so his tribute to the Matriarch of the Blues, the much-missed Etta James, is a brilliantly out-of-the-box idea. ” - Will Friedwald

“Texas born and bred singer William Blake--who came to New York six years ago at age 24--has lately taken the town by storm with his terrific tribute show to the legendary blues and jazz singer Etta James. In the process, Blake has also managed to transform some of the city's most prestigious nightclub/cabaret venues into his own personal concert halls. First it was at Birdland, where in the summer of 2012 and with the support of "Cast Party" impresario Jim Caruso, Blake launched his Echoes of Etta in front of raucous, standing-room only crowds. Then last February, Blake, his five piece band and three girl backup singers, overpowered Joe's Pub. But the last two nights might have been Blake's most impressive performances to date, as he totally captured the crowd at the elegant and sedate Cafe Carlyle (for the room's new 10:45 "Second Act" sets). It was almost as if you were experiencing a Rhythm & Blues concert at Carnegie Hall.And perhaps that's where this show should play next because it certainly deserves an audience that size. There's a reason why Echoes of Etta--created by Blake with his Musical Director/Arranger Michael Thomas Murray--earned this young blue-eyed soul singer the recent BroadwayWorld.com Cabaret Award for "Best Male Vocalist" and the show a nomination as "Best Tribute." It is flat-out polished, pulsating and powerful, and with his goose bump-inducing falsetto, his gospel growl, and his passionate expression of the emotions behind each lyric, Blake delivers James' classic R & B songs to near perfection. Almost from the moment he stepped on the Carlyle stage for the rocking blues opener "Something's Got A Hold On Me," Blake and company took hold of the audience and never let go during a 17-song set that for last night's show demanded an extra encore. How did this white boy from Dallas, who possesses the kind of cherubic face and sweet disposition that compelled Gene Simmons from KISS to say Blake reminded him of a young Wayne Newton, come to channel a female African-American singer who is in both the Blues and the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fames?When I was growing up there was always music being played in my house and in the car and it was usually R & B," Blake told me during a recent interview. "My parents loved singers like Otis Redding and Sam Cooke and their music became my music." After Blake started working at Birdland four years ago, he was included in Caruso's "Cast Party" variety shows. Caruso was so impressed (as was Michael Feinstein, who said Blake was "amazing" and offered him a spot in a Carnegie Hall show) in 2011 he asked the up-and-comer to stage a solo show. Blake performed a set of soul and R & B classics, which eventually became the CD "William Blake: Live From New York." When Caruso urged him to do a new show for 2012, Blake had already been conspiring with his musical partner Murray about doing an Etta James tribute show. Who knew it would be an ideal fit?We were ready to do it at the beginning of 2012," Blake recalls, "but when Etta died last January it didn't seem like the right time. It wouldn't have served her memory well to have done a show about her so soon after she passed. We all needed time to mourn such a great talent. By the time we were ready to do it last June, it became even more a show about inspiration and what inspires a musician. For me, every song in the show is a love letter to Etta." And he sings them that way. With a vocal instrument that is relentlessly soulful and combines high-energy with seeming effortlessness, Blake delivers the uptempo blues numbers and the ballads with equal precision and passion. Murray's arrangements are reverential but also play to Blake's vocal strengths (although if there are any weaknesses they are tough to discern). The five-piece band--Murray on piano, Oscar Bautista on guitar, Frank Canino on bass, Mike Shapiro on drums, and especially Jay Leslie playing an awesome sax--and the three faux "Peaches" (a solid backup vocal group featuring Ashley Betton, Shira Elias, and Stephany Mora) are strong and supportive without being overpowering, even in a more intimate room like the Carlyle.On the uptempo "Good Rockin' Daddy," Leslie and Bautista shined on their respective solos and the Peaches rocked their synchronized choreography, while their backup vocals seemed even stronger than during the Joe's Pub show. On James' first hit, "The Wallflower (Roll With Me, Henry)," Murray and Blake engaged in a mid-tempo blues conversation, with Leslie again providing a fine mid-song sax riff.For the Carlyle show, Blake and Murray added a new number "That Crazy Feeling," and it was at this point four songs in that Blake had taken total command of the set and the stage, and the audience was totally on board for this R & B ride. Echoes of Etta is more of a concert than a cabaret show and that's the way it should be. There is just the right amount of between-songs patter where Blake offers a little bit of history and personal homage to keep the musical flow humming along. After a solid duet with Murray on "Spoonful/If I Can't Have You," Blake poked fun at himself for at the Birdland show dedicating the blues ballad "Stop the Wedding" to a 16-year-old girl (it wasn't included at the Joe's Pub gig) and then nailed it with delicious backup from the Peaches. He then dedicated the funky "Down In The Basement" to Jim Caruso and their beloved Birdland (where Blake also works part-time) and Caruso, who was in the audience, was smiling from ear to ear throughout the song. Blake finished off the first half of the set by making vocal love to "I Just Want to Make Love To You," probably one of Murray's best of a score of solid arrangements.From there, the momentum building was rapturously relentless. On the classic ballad "Sunday Kind of Love," Blake combined a mixture of his innate feminine-like upper register and lower male baritone notes with that soulful falsetto to create a compelling power blues sound. The gospel tinged "Losers Weepers"--the best friend stealing a man story song--was so much fun it could make you cry. The Peaches backup vocal harmonies and movement on this number made it feel almost like a parody of a classic group blues number and it was totally adorable. The torch song "Fool That I Am" (which has been covered by Adele and which Blake calls his "favorite song in the set") was like a duet between Blake and Leslie, where the latter's sax lines seemed to respond to William's wonderful wailing. But that was nothing compared to how that fantastic and familiar opening saxophone riff for "At Last" can completely melt you (which Leslie's did) and Blake's rendition ranks right up there with the best of them. It's hard to believe anything could top that, but Blake managed to keep the power vocal going late in the show (with help from the Peaches) with a sublime interpretation of the mid-tempo blues ballad "I'd Rather Go Blind.With the audience engaged in the kind of appreciative applause usually reserved for nightclub legends like the late Cafe Carlyle crooner Bobby Short (the crowd would later demand a second encore, which was the classic "The Very Thought of You," made famous by both Etta and Billie Holiday), Blake and company launched into an absolutely kick-ass encore of "Sookie Sookie/Tell Mama," which built in power and tempo right to the button. Interested in experiencing the performance of a budding concert singing star? To paraphrase a line from "Tell Mama": See William! He'll make everything all right!” - Stephen Hanks

“To meet singer William Blake in person is to get a glimpse of the mild-mannered Southerner behind the sensation one sees and hears on stage. Don’t be fooled by the cherubic, boyish looks (he’ll be turning thirty this summer) or gentle speaking tone. Blake transforms into a fiery, soulful tenor on stage, complete with gospel wails, hungry growls and unrestrained riffs.On June 4th, Blake takes on none other than legendary Etta James in a concert at Birdland, 315 W. 44th Street. Entitled "Echoes of Etta," it’s a show that Blake had been mulling long before her death in January. In fact, he recorded "At Last" for his first CD, "DayDreamer," back in 2004. "Why not?" Blake says, regarding the tribute concert. "I’ve spoken with both fans and people who have worked with her to prepare for this, but I want the music to speak for itself." He claims to have listened to every song she recorded.Blake recalled seeing the movie "Sister Act" as a ten-year-old. There is a scene where Whoopi Goldberg’s character goes to the jukebox and puts in her coin. Out comes Etta’s "Roll With Me, Henry." Blake was galvanized by the voice and thought, "That’s what I want to do." Blake was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. While his twin sister became a tomboy and grew up riding motorcycles, he gravitated toward art, music and theater. Still, his parents respected his choice. In fact, after they divorced when he was twelve, his mother met her second husband from the cast of his very first show, "Lil Abner." "If I hadn’t been doing theater, she wouldn’t have met the love of her life," he says matter-of-factly.Naturally, Blake sang in the school choir, sang to the oldies radio station in the car, and sang in the Baptist church. "When you’re growing up in the South, church has a lot to do with that," he says, theorizing as to why so many great vocalists come from below the Mason-Dixon line.Although Blake attended Southern Methodist University and planned to major in theater, he started getting more singing work in Dallas nightclubs and theater and dropped out after two years. "It was one of the hardest, riskiest decisions of my life and I certainly didn’t want to disappoint my family," he says. "I don’t think I did."After "DayDreamer" in 2004, he finally gave in to the demands of his friends and auditioned for "American Idol"-not once but twice. When he didn’t get past the preliminaries in Orlando, he went straight to the next auditioning city, New Orleans. Ultimately, he made it to the Hollywood round in Season 4 (Carrie Underwood’s year)."I had never watched the show," Blake says. "I basically did it to shut them up!""What you see on TV is basically a dumbed-down version of what really happens. So much happens in a day, they are constantly filming, they never let you sleep, and the kids are singing incessantly," he says with a roll of his eyes. "But, I got more gigs and theater from the experience and I wouldn’t have gotten to New York if it wasn’t for that.The choice had come down to New York or Las Vegas. "After going to L.A. [for "Idol"], I didn’t want to go back," he laughs. "Now I live in Hell’s Kitchen and can walk two blocks to see all the shows. I’m constantly inspired.His first job in New York was as a waiter at the famed piano bar Don’t Tell Mama. "The others were a little territorial at first, but then they saw what I brought to the table"-music-wise, not beverage-wise-"and I was so grateful," he says. "You meet people from all corners of the world working there, and you don’t have that in Dallas."He remained there for a year but left when new owners took over. Soon after attending Jim Caruso’s Monday night Cast Party at Birdland, he was asked to work there. Not only that, but after one performance at Cast Party, Michael Feinstein came over and complimented him. That led to a performance with Feinstein and other luminaries in the show "Standard Time" at Carnegie Hall."That was vindicating for me," he says. "That’s when I knew the people in Dallas were not lying to me about my talent." Working at Birdland has also introduced him to a roster of worldwide artists. "It’s a different level, like getting to talk to Kurt Elling," he says. "I probably won’t be as gung-ho about the Great American Songbook as the next lauded singer, but it helps get to know it from these people.In this age of image and auto-tuning, one artist he admires is Nikka Costa. "She sings funk, soul and rock," Blake says. "She’s doing what I’d love to be doing, touring with my band all over the place. She’s such an energetic and dynamic performer, people go crazy."Last year, Blake released "Live from New York City," eight tracks from a sold out concert at Birdland in September 2010. He covered such artists as Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding, Sly and the Family Stone, Rufus and Gladys Knight and the Pips. He’s also at work on a Graham Russell musical in the works based on Air Supply songs. At a recent reading, he worked with Constantine Maroulis, who had been in his Hollywood group on "American Idol."Although he sees a future with that show, Blake doesn’t audition much. "I’m more interested in touring, showing the nation what I’ve got," he says. Blake, reflecting on the losses of Etta, Whitney and Donna this year, mused, "It’s such an interesting relationship between gay men and black women in popular music. It’s diva-tude, no holds barred. They go to church and gay men love it; that’s where they find their church." After a pause, he finds the real point: "Really, what’s the point of singing a song if you don’t feel it?” - Kevin Scott Hall