WILL DOWNING'S ‘CLASSIQUE’ CREATION: Smoothed out singer releases new classic sound inspired disc. (Video)

Scroll down to watch Will perform the groovealicious Something Special of his new CD "Classique"

“I don’t use the cane anymore, I get around on my own, and I’m doing full performances now. I’m not going to beat [Jamaican sprinter] Usain Bolt in a foot race or anything like that, but I get from point A to point B, and I was never the best dancer anyway so I just stand there and do my two-step and sing.”

       *Super smooth soul man Will Downing has put his own interpretations on some classics and the classic sound of classic soul with his new disc “Classique.”

      The singer, who is still steadily recovering from polymyositis – a chronic muscle disease – that put him in a wheelchair in 2006, offers up a new project that takes its cue from the sounds of the late ‘70s an early ‘80s.

      “Classique” features interpretations of soul classics from the likes of legends such as Barry White and David Ruffin, but Downing also laces the disc with original tracks reminiscent of the sound.

       “What I was going for concept wise was doing something that goes back to a period of music that I just love. It’s kind of a tribute to the late ‘70s, & early ‘80s. That’s kind of what I grew up on,” Downing told EUR’s Lee Bailey.

      Downing continued that he decided to do a nod to that style of music by taking some classic songs, remaking them and “making them mine,” he said. And he added to the project by writing some songs that fit into that genre.

      “It’s just an adult, classic soul type of a record,” he said.

      Though Downing is borrowing a bit from the sound of other artists and musicians, it’s his consistency of delivery of his own musical smoothness that makes the disc impressive.

      “The consistency of my sound is the consistency of the people that I work with,” Downing explained. “I think that I’ve found a niche of people that I work really well with. I’ve been working with these folks for the last, in some cases, 20 years. There’s an air of consistency because it’s the same people.”

      Though the industry has lent itself to artists reinventing themselves, Downing suggests that in this day and time, changing just to change is not a smart thing to do.

      “This is what I’ve always done; this is who I am,” he said. “It would be a huge mistake to try something just to be trying it. People know a fraud when they see it.”

      “Classique” features David Ruffin’s “Statue of A Fool,” The Originals' “Baby I’m For Real,” and Barry White’s “I’m Gonna Love You More.”

      “It was good to be able to do my interpretation of a Barry White song,” the singer boasted. “Did I beat the original? I doubt it very seriously. Did I give a different interpretation of it? Yeah.”

        Downing shared that he feels really good about the new disc, released this week. Additionally, he feels really good, period.

      “I’m feeling fantastic,” he said referring his health. “I’ve seen a lot of people fall by the wayside and not make it back. Thank God that is not my story. I’ve been to the depths. Somehow, God found it in his graces to allow me to come back. I’m probably about 85% from what I was – and I don’t think I was ever 100% anyway, so I think 85% is pretty good,” he said with a laugh.

      When he was first diagnosed with polymyositis in 2006, Downing lost more than 100 lbs and was unable to walk.

      “I don’t use the cane anymore, I get around on my own, and I’m doing full performances now. I’m not going to beat [Jamaican sprinter] Usain Bolt in a foot race or anything like that, but I get from point A to point B, and I was never the best dancer anyway so I just stand there and do my two-step and sing.”

      Though he’s not out of the woods just yet, Downing is still pretty busy with his music career and performances.

      “With the release of the record, they got me on full throttle, but I think I’m working smarter,” he said about playing bigger venues so he can do fewer shows. “But the one thing that I can really say I pulled away from the illness is that life is short and there’s more to life than a dollar. I’ve certainly learned that lesson, so I work, and I play at the same time.”

      For more on Will Downing, the new disc, and upcoming performances, check out www.willdowning.com.

Watch Will sing Something Special of his new CD "Classique":

Will Downing
Peak Records/ Concord Music Group
'Classique' - Available Everywhere!
Official Site: http://www.concordmusicgroup.com/artists/Will-Downing/