Music at a Glance: Anthony Hamilton

I was running fast. Hands pressed hard against my ears, my breath taunting my lungs with tiny spurts of air. I was sprinting into some unknown abyss as if my life depended on it; running from the mundane voices, home grown vernacular and repetitive lyrical content that have bombarded my ears. Every other mile or so I was able to pause, hearing a glimpse of a songbird’s sweet melody. But that was eventually drowned out by the humdrum and I was off running again. Then suddenly, as if dashing into some profound revelation, I tripped and fell onto the raspy voice of So-So Def recording artist, Anthony Hamilton. Finally, I could let go my ears, cease running and breathe!


Hamilton’s debut, Coming From Where I’m From, is lyrically filled with an authentic urban survival state of affairs while he delivers edgy vocals, supported by an effortless range that will surely raise hairs on the necks of all who take note of his spicy sophomore effort. Certainly, this project delivers a style that is heavily influenced by classic, vintage soul music. Cuts such as “My First Love” and “Since I Seen’t You” use stimulating piano riffs, Southern Baptist church organs, infectious bass lines and soulful horn expansions to capture the earthy tones of this work. Meanwhile, “Cornbread, Fish and Collard Greens” explores a lighter, more playful nature while Hamilton sings about a day in the life of the world’s oldest profession.

Anthony Hamilton succeeded in developing a soul-stirring commercial debut that will leave its audience smiling, yearning for a post-climatic cigarette. Coming From Where I’m From is definitive, serving to add the name Anthony Hamilton to the stunted list of today’s truly prolific artists.



Carlandrea Clark

Carlandréa is a freelance writer residing in Houston, Texas.
Her diverse background includes entertainment marketing/promotions,
scriptwriting, songwriting, short stories, music reviews and poetry.
Feel free to email her your comments at I_Muze@yahoo.com

NeYo : In My Own Words

Reviewed By: Belinda Boakye
http://www.thesituation.co.uk

The corners of my mouth begin to twitch and however hard I try, I can’t help but crack a smile every time I hear the opening track of this infectiously feel good record.

Ne-Yo, aka Shaffer Smith, the songwriter responsible for Mario’s ‘Let Me Love You’, making contributions to Faith Evans, Mary J Blige and B2K to name but a few, has now emerged from the shadows with his solo debut effort – ‘In My Own Words’.

‘In My Own Words’, an appropriate title for this album, Ne-Yo’s autonomous creative input is prevalent throughout and results in a slick finish, securing its place at the high quality end of today’s R&B scene.

The pure dirty beats of ‘Stay’ set the tone of the album and encapsulate the addictive dynamic of the whole record. But, there are no gangstas, pimps or hoes here despite the filthy bass line – this is Ne-Yo’s ode to music and his sublime layered harmonies in the hook reveals the soul injection that makes his signature sound.

In the following songs, the tempo is taken down a peg or two. In ‘Let Me Get This Right’, he gets the girl; in the smash hit ‘So Sick’, we all know that he’s lost her, but don’t despair because in ‘When You’re Mad’, he gets her back again, (even though she seems to be angry at him most of the time).

And so it’s not hard to miss the gist of lyrical content. It may be an unoriginal subject matter, but Ne-Yo talks about love, lust and relationships in a simple and honest way, including the little details we can all identify with: “Could it be the little wrinkle over your nose/When you make your angry face/That makes me wanna take off all of your clothes/And sex you all over the place.”

Another of the main highlights is the heavy track ‘It Just Ain’t Right’, which features a sample of Switch’s ‘I Call Your Name’. Ne-Yo updates this Motown track, taking it to another level with a catchy chorus that invades the brain however much you don’t want it to.

Slow jams for the backroom come in the form of ‘Mirror’ and ‘Get Down Like That’, and reveal a structurally sound songwriting technique that will guarantee consistent commercial hits.

One track reaffirms this album’s status and proves great things are sure to follow in this artist’s career – the track in question is ‘Sexy Love’. A fusion of Michael Jackon’s ‘Liberian Girl’ and ‘Human Nature’ spring to mind, all in an uplifting major key.


Ne-Yo’s credibility and differentiation from his peers comes from his multiple talents. The development of such a signature sound at such an early stage in his career means that there is no need for overcompensation in other areas. Comfortable in his own skin, the tracks are allowed to breath without ostentatious vocal acrobatics or pretentious lyric. Ne-Yo tells it like it is and it is this endearing quality which gives the album a human touch and universal appeal.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Top 3 tracks:
Stay
Sexy Love
Get Down Like That