Clarence Bekker: why the new single is Natural
Clarence Bekker: why the new single is Natural
I first saw Clarence Bekker perform in the 90s, when he was part of the Swinging Soul Machine – a powerhouse live show in the Netherlands. After meeting him briefly, I pointed out to my then writing partners that he had the manic energy of Little Richard. But I could also have added “and the voice of Bob Marley, Otis Redding or Al Green“.
We went on to write a few songs with him under the name CB Milton that became Eurodance classics, most notably “It’s a Loving Thing“.
Since then, he has popped up on my radar repeatedly. A few featured vocalist spots, a few private gigs, then an incredible selection of videos shot busking in the streets of Barcelona. This led to him becoming a featured singer in Playing for Change, collectively totalling well over 200 million views. That’s about the population of Brazil, 😉 .
Somewhere along the way, he settled into being the frontman of the Clarence Bekker Band, a tight outfit based in Barcelona that has enabled him to follow his own path through regular gigs at the Jamboree club, but also as far apart as Australia, Italy and Brazil.
We also hooked up for a track on the album Changes.
All this comes together on the new single, “Natural”, to which I contributed. It’s all in the name, an easygoing lovers rock reggae tune in his trademark, soulful voice. In a way, it sums up the band’s entire work over the past few years, building a career on soulful, natural music.