Singer/songwriter and ace guitarist Colin Lake returns to Chickie Wah Wah this Friday night for a performance with his band. The Seattle native moved to New Orleans over eight years ago and set about making a name for himself as a songwriter and guitarist.
His powerful vocal style and soulful touch on the guitar and lap steel owe heavily to countless blues greats, but it’s Lake’s knack for songcraft that sets him apart in that genre. Lake’s latest album, One Thing That’s For Sure, captures the songwriter’s unique musical vision, delivering penetrating lyrics with soul and gritty sincerity.
On the album’s eleven original songs, Lake sings of love and longing, truth and transcendence, hope and struggle. On songs like “I’m Trying to Tell You” and the heavily distorted “Pay the Price,” Lake sings in desperate pleas, reminiscent of a man fighting for his life, while in the chorus of the laid back title track and the sun-soaked refrain of “She’s Mine,” the singer swells with joy as he revels in the spoils of love.
In recent years, Lake has opened for acts like Dr. John and Gary Clark Jr. and performed at festivals around the country including the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, the Austin City Limits Music Festival, Alabama’s Hangout Fest, the Key West Songwriters Festival, and the French Quarter Festival.
