The Tribune

By ALESHA CADET

Tribune Features Reporter

acadet@tribunemedia.net

GOSPEL singer Ricardo Clarke describes his latest album as a celebration of strength, especially in difficult times.

The launch for the aptly named “Stronger” record and benefit concert held last week drew fans who have been following Ricardo’s music over the years. The singer told Tribune Religion that its was a pleasure to receive so much positive feedback from people who described his latest body of work as “off the hook from beginning to end.”

One fan said: “All of the songs speak to real life situations that anyone who ever lives on planet earth can relate to at least one time in their life.”

Ricardo said the album release and it’s positive reception has set the stage for both local and international opportunities for his career. The singer said he has his parents to thank for his musical abilities., Ricardo’s father, Bishop V G Clarke, is a professional singer known for the hit song “Footsteps on the Sea.” His mother was also a singer and choir director.

“I was in choirs, went to music school and was around all things music. This also meant exposure to an extensive music library, visiting live concerts and travelling to perform at an early age,” said Ricardo. He has shared stages with major acts such as Marvin Winans, Canton Jones, Vashawn Mitchell and Grammy Award winner Kierra “KiKi” Sheard. which premiered at the prestigious Gene Siskel Film Centre in Chicago. He has been nominated and won numerous awards, such as Marlin Awards and Bahamian Icon Awards.

When asked about the inspiration behind the new album, Ricardo said each song carries a message of strength. For example, the track “Least Expect” shows how strength can be vulnerable; the title song “Stronger” is an affirmation of strength, and “Too Favoured to Fail” shows how people achieve their victories when their strength is challenged.

“Life and it share of ups and downs can be incredibly tough to manage, if we are honest. There is a thread of the ‘Stronger’ message throughout the album. In life, every day we face pressure from the vocational, relational, financial, educational, mental and spiritual sides that can leave even the best challenged and sometimes defeated. We can go through so much that we fail to take the opportunity to highlight and recognise how strong we are. One can easily misconstrue that because they are struggling that they aren’t stronger, however, it is in those moments that their strength is on great display. I believe that because you’re still here and alive to fight back, it makes you stronger than anything that came against you. You are not weak. You are strong,” said Ricardo.

As the year comes to a close, the singer said he is planning appearances in England and other places in Europe to promote the album.

“Admittedly, I am leveraging my musical influence to shed light on my mentorship programme, Occupy, which places a focus on character and career. I want the students in the programme to take their rightful place in the world and see themselves as an active part of it, realising they have the power to shape it. We have impacted 71 children in the public school system, showing them how to be a productive citizen of the Bahamas and the world, giving their time, talent and treasures to leave the landscape better than I found it,” he said.

For all those interested, Ricardo’s music can found on Amazon, iTunes and Spotify.