New artist Chris Blake brought his brand of country music to the Cumberland River Tavern in Pineville, KY. Blake performs music he was raised on such as Conway Twitty, Keith Whitley, and Travis Tritt, along with his modern inspirations of Eric Church, Luke Combs and Tyler Childers.
Blake is man that likes to have a good time, doing a 90s country compilation getting the crowd to dance, and taking requests, performing songs on the fly. Despite the fun, Blake also shines when doing the slower, more serious songs. With his cover of Tritt’s “Where Corn Don’t Grow” he goes from fun-loving to possessing a world-weariness well beyond his years. Carrying on the heartbreak, is his cover of Keith Whitley’s “I’m Over You” and Tracey Lawrence’s “Paint Me a Birmingham.”
Blake livened the crowd back up with covers of Luke Combs and the title track off of his own EP, Doubles. Also off of that album is the somber “Jim Beam and King James” a song about how we all walk the line between sinner and saint, or in Blake’s words, between “Jim Beam and King James” and his “I’ve Been Told” about his aspirations to be a country music star, despite his being told that it would never happen.
The surprise of the night came when multiple people requested to hear Blake’s original song “U Turn” multiple times throughout the night, and sang along with him when he obliged. Blake’s local fans have shown him that despite what he’s been told, he might be able to make it big anyway if he keeps on this path.
For more of Chris Blake, follow his Facebook page Chris Blake Music. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009496447937