After the release of his 2013 debut album People Need Jah and the sophomore set Temporary Obstacle in 2019, veteran reggae singer Milton Blake from Jamaica returns with his third full length album entitled Fend.

Born in the parish of St. Catherine, Milton Blake started voicing out on a community based sound system named Stereo Tone Hi Fi. It was there he started growing musically, working alongside artists such as Admiral Tibet and Lt. Stitchie to name a few. Shortly after, he met producers Steely & Clevie at the famous Mixing Lab studio and did a combination tune with Bingie General. He went on to record the song He Lives for Dwight Pinkney of Roots Radics Band, Thank You and Mr. Government on Henfield Records, and many more songs for other producers. Milton has since perfected his musical skills and performed on shows across Jamaica, Barbados, and the United States. Sparring with Luciano and Mikey General he was around some of the great reggae musicians and producers such as Dean Fraser, Earl “China” Smith, King Jammy, and Bobby Digital, he got the knowledge of how to put together a proper recording project. Although two studio albums and various singles haven’t led to Milton Blake establishing himself as a household name in reggae business, people should definitely check the singer’s music and more specifically his latest album.

With the 12-track album Fend, Milton Blake delivers a very well put together and classy set. It’s actually a compilation of songs produced by the artist himself and other producers including Lloyd Dennis for Pick Out Records, Alvin Ricketts for Turbulence Int., and Jah Mikes for Reggae Vibes Productions. Riddimwise, those who favor and enjoy relicked versions of classic backdrops are served well with remakes of riddims such as The Heptones’ Party Time, Jimmy Riley & The Three Tops’ You Should Have Known, The Fugitives/Soul Agents’ The Lecture, and Peter Tosh’s Legalize It to name a few. With these riddims and a few not mentioned others, it’s obvious that Fend has a very clear leaning towards the old skool. Nothing wrong with that at all. Vocally, this is also a worthy collection as Milton Blake has a smooth and appealing voice that blends perfectly well with the riddims he rides. In all, Fend is a solid album throughtout with the highlights being Rub A Dub, Caan Trust Dem, title track Fend, the gorgeous Just A Song, and I Am Safe.

Veteran reggae crooner Milton Blake is set to release his third album, ‘FEND’, on April 2. It will be a compilation of the singer blending his voice with some of the island’s top rhythms of the past, which have been remixed for contemporary sounds.

According to Blake, the COVID-19 pandemic allowed him to concentrate more on his music, and has enabled him to renew his delivery of authentic one drop reggae melodies of quality for the album, which he produced and will be on his label, Lion and Lioness Productionz.

“Locked in at home I got to focus more on the music. So daily I sat in my home studio and just write and do recordings. I've recorded over 50 songs, so I decided to pick out some of the tracks, and then added a few popular singles I've done for other producers and come up with this album, ‘FEND’.

“I never ever waited on anyone for anything in my entire life. I always make my moves, and with that positive aggression, the universe always sends me help along the way. ‘FEND’ means doing things without the help of others, and that word fits my description, so I decided to write a song based on that, and also give the album the name,” said Blake.

He added that the album will remind listeners of rub-a-dub reggae with a vibe of past days when men and women would hold a partner “tight” on the dance floor.

“I'm so upbeat about this album mainly because of the rhythms I've chosen to use, and the lyrical contents are powerful, meaningful and soulful,” he said.

According to Blake, he specifically selected the rhythms for the album, intending to recreate authentic reggae, as he believes the modern reggae is diminishing the genre with “no feeling beats”.

Among the songs that are to be on the album are the popular ‘Caan Trust Dem’ and ‘Rub A Dub Style’ and his latest release, ‘Looking For Love’, which is currently getting regular rotation on radios around the world.

It is the second album that Blake will be releasing in three years after he dropped ‘Temporary Obstacle’ in 2019, which followed his debut album as far back as 2010. ‘Temporary Obstacle’ was produced by the legendary Lloyd ‘PickOut’ Dennis, while ‘People Need Jah’ was produced by Blake.