C-Block—
BRITISH-BASED Jamaican singer C-Block is set on carving his name on the musical landscape.
Defining his style as “reggae stew, seasoned with everything else”, the artiste is currently promoting his latest singles Lose Yourself and Victory (slated to be released today) on the C Block/Caliba label.
According to the artist, the timing of his releases were strategic.
“The music scene is very much alive in the United Kingdom at this time, with breakthrough artists keeping the standard and gaining support to reach new heights,” he said.
He said he hopes to garner a Jamaican fan base “for their stamp of approval”.
In the 1980s and late ’90s, reggae enjoyed a huge following in the United Kingdom and spawned several singers including Maxi Priest, Steel Pulse’s David Hinds, and UB40′s Ali Campbell.
C-Block is optimistic he will, one day, be listed among them.
“Based on what I am hearing from in the UK, things are really promising for me,” he said.
Hailing from the parish of St Elizabeth, C-Block (given name Omar Peart) migrated to Britain in 1999.
Now in his late-30s, he credits his father, Viviton, for being his first musical influence.
“He was always playing sound system and live instruments,” he told the Jamaica Observer.
He said he honed his talent by listening to different genres of music and listening back to his earlier recordings even while noting which sections could have been improved.
“As long as it’s not out of place… I try to be as versatile as possible,” he said.
His other releases include Killing Me Inside; Talk Enuh featuring Bugle; and Temporary Lover, a collab effort featuring the late Gregory Isaacs.
“Every so often I try to do a nice ladies’ song as well ,keeping the females on board,” he said.
– By Cecelia Campbell-Livingston
