Customer Reviews

SOULIFE [Vinyl]

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"Soulife" is a considerable improvement over Anthony Hamilton's debut, "Comin' From Where I'm From," an album I kinda liked but didn't completely warm up to. As predicted, several hastily-written five star reviews have praised this album to high heaven. I guess, relative to the crap that's currently out there, "Soulife" could indeed be a five star record, but I'd hesitate to jump on the bandwagon and heap superlatives like some other people have. It's a GOOD--not great--record that capably does what it wants to do: give the listener a deep-fried platter of gritty soul with a nod to the old school. From track to track, Hamilton had me pleasantly surprised, but what may be the biggest surprise is that this CD is actually a grab-bag of material that was apparently recorded before his debut. Regardless, much of ths stuff here works. Some of the more memorable tunes here are "Last Night," the breakup tune "I Cry," "Day Dreamin'," and "Love and War," featuring Macy Gray. If I had to pick a bad tune off this album, I'd be at a loss. "Soulife" is a collection of tunes well sung and well written, and it makes me look forward to Hamilton's next CD.

Like many recording artists, Anthony Hamilton's career was in limbo for several years prior to the release of his 2003 debut album "Comin' from Where I'm From." He completed two arduous projects that went unreleased. Soulife is a compilation of those recordings. I'm amazed that this album has not created any fanfare or media buzz. This may be attributed to the category that this is not an actual follow-up to the first release. It is my understanding that the actual sophomore album will be provided in the later part of 2005. That being said, this is nothing short of a fabulous album. Hamilton is an incredibly gifted singer, with arguably the most soulful voice on the market these days. It's difficult for me to pick favorite songs on Soulife because they are all so well crafted. No two songs sound alike. They each stand out musically with their commonality being rooted in Hamilton's distinct vocal inflection that rides comfortably along the patterns of each arrangement. "I Cry" is a moving recollection of heartbreak that bounces along delicately with a soft xylophone affect. "Georgie Parker" is an equally moving tale that is somewhat of a predecessor in theme to "Charlene", which appears on the first album. "Day Dreaming" is an ode to love that is emblematic of Hamilton's delicate vocal composition. "Ball and Chain" is an interesting story that involves gaining spiritual prosperity by relocating to one's roots. "Last Night" is an exceptionally catchy tune with an old school chorus that reminds me of songs that marked periods in my life. All-in-all, this album will not be a disappointment for Anthony Hamilton fans, as well as anyone who appreciates mature well produced material.

A bunch of this material was around when Anthony Hamilton's first record came out, but didn't make it onto that record. Good news for us that somebody thought audiences might be interested enough to want to hear it.

What would have been even better is if someone had thought to take the few really great tracks (the rest are just good or solidly done) and put them on the first record, giving us a really great debut in the first place. Hamilton is an artist who deserves FAR greater recognition than he's received, and that kind of math would have done the job right. As it stands, fans are just hoping that the lukewarm response to this very strong record doesn't suggest to Hamilton that he should change his style.

Here's hoping he sticks to his guns and outlasts industry ignorance.

Every now and then a new singer comes along and he or she makes me drop to my knees, kiss the ground and thank all that's good. I'm so grateful that there are still some artistes around who don't just simply set their sights on the pop charts, radio airplay, teen magazine covers and simply take things from there. Those that do may celebrate multi-platinum sales and have mantelpieces laden with awards but to me, such performers are artistically vapid and culturally irrelevant. In ten years time, no one will remember anything they did.

Thankfully, we still have some artistes with a vision, a dream of making real music, and an intention of sticking to their ideals. Despite all the obvious pressures, these men and women reject the `here today, gone tomorrow' fads of triteness, as they swim against the tide of mediocrity that passes itself off as popular music nowadays. Luckily, it is we, the discerning listeners, who get to enjoy the results.

Anthony Hamilton is one such singer in my book. I'm still enthralled with his debut, "Comin' From Where I'm From", two years after its release. It's difficult to say whether this new work is better in any way but one thing's for sure: it's definitely not worse and it offers up the same top quality soul that I've come to expect from this singer. That can only be a good thing. His voice is as smoky and smouldering as ever and the comparisons to soul heroes like Bill Withers, Al Green and Bobby Womack are no exaggeration.

I remember debates I had with friends in the months following the release of "Comin'". My friends and I were loving his music but were wondering how much commercial success he'd have, given the type of music that people seem to be into these days.

"Oh, he's gonna have to water it down somewhat for his next release," someone said. Thankfully, that hasn't happened.

"He'll definitely have to get a couple of rappers on his next CD. Maybe put a club banger or two in there," someone else said. Thankfully, despite the panic he generated in us by collaborating with Twista recently, that didn't happen either. If there are any club bangers on this album, I must've missed them.

"He's gonna have to change his image," one of us also said. "Maybe tidy his shave up a bit, change his wardrobe, maybe even show a bit more flesh. You know, for the laydeeeeies..." No one can be happier than I am, that none of this has happened either. Anthony Hamilton has stayed true to himself and may he be blessed for doing so.

As far as the songs on the album are concerned, I love them all. The production is clean and devoid of gimmicks, giving his voice centre stage. What might be worth mentioning in the context of this review though, are the collaborations. "Love And War" features Macy Gray and "Last Night" features Sunshine Anderson & Dolo Pichino. Interestingly, although I greatly admire the talents of the first two (I've never heard of the third), neither of them are exactly current TRL darlings. All of this just goes to strengthen my belief in Anthony Hamilton's musical character. Think of all the other female vocalists he could have gone for - and who no doubt would have been happy to duet with him - but didn't.

Anyway, both collaborations work very well and I hope both Macy and Sunshine appear on the scene again in their own rights real soon.

All in all, forget so-called "neo soul", (an unfortunate label if I ever heard one). If you like your soul real, full-bodied and full of authentic southern flavour, this is a must for you.

PS: I've only just discovered that this is not a release of new material but in fact stuff that he had done before his debut release on Arista. That explains the "change" of label and it also puts into question many of the statments I made above, especially about image, collaborations and so forth. Ah, well. That'll teach me to make sure I read the inner sleeve notes on a CD next time before I go flapping my mouth.

I still stand by my review though. I still think this is a great CD, worthy of the 5 stars I've given it. Only thing that's changed is I guess it seems we still await a "new" release proper from Mr Hamilton. We also wait to see if he goes on to fulfil the promise I've been crowing on about. I remain hopeful.

Heard Ol' Keeper and had to get this. I just got my new car, and bumped that song for a good 2 months before I listened to the rest of the CD, which is also a good effort. A definite buy!!!

Looking at the reviews, it seems that people are confused by where exactly this album, Soulife, falls into Anthony Hamilton's catalog. This is not his new album; technically, this would be his second album. XTC was his first album (which is now out-of-print), Comin' From Where I'm From is his third album, and Ain't Nobody Worryin' is his fourth album. Soulife contains mostly previously unreleased tracks from Anthony (the liner notes even include a mini-biography explaining his label problems prior to now), and although these songs aren't quite as good as his newer stuff, they're still pretty good.

As expected, there are plenty of nice ballads on here, like "Clearly" and "I Used to Love Someone". Another good one is "Love Is So Complicated", which borrows music from Love Unlimited Orchestra's "Midnight Groove" (the song Flipmode Squad sampled for "Cha Cha Cha"). But my favorite song is "Last Night" with Dolo Pichino and Sunshine Anderson, a song that also appeared on Sunshine's underrated album Your Woman (which was on the now-defunct Soulife record label, just like THESE songs were initially). And "Icing On the Cake" is aptly titled, and "Exclusively" is good too, because Anthony is better at falsetto than I thought he would be.

Unlike most reviewers, I didn't care for "Georgie Parker" or "Ol' Keeper" (well, the choruses, anyway). But everything else is above-average, thus making Soulife one of the best albums you've never heard.

Anthony Rupert

and thanks to Rupert (reviewer) for enlightening me on the origins of this CD.
I found it mellow, quality material, which is what is to be expected from AH, whether on his own or guest appearing on someone's else's project. This artist is quality through and through ... no need to wonder if your money will be wasted, because it will not. I didn't, however, love it like I did Coming From Where I'm Coming From; but it is not disappointing. My favorite: Keeper! The whole CD is growing on me more and more daily; buy it. Don't waste time.

Though released in 2005, this CD is a random collection of tracks from when Anthony was recording for, and living in the communal house of, the small Los Angeles label, Soulife, from the late 1999 to 2001. The resulting sound is breathtaking, and pristinely produced and mixed. You can begin to hear his voice developing into the gritty, soulful, intense, Charlotte, North Carolina sound he has become known for, on his 2 recent LP's, "Comin' From Where I'm From" and "Ain't Nobody Worryin'". After listening to those 2 LPs extensively, and only recently acquiring a copy of "Soulife", I am blown away by the quality. I knew this was a collection of unarranged tracks from years back, and expected them to sound accordingly old and underproduced. "Pleasantly suprised" would be a massive understatement. Also, I honestly only rank the other 2 as 3.5-4 stars. This one is without a doubt, a 5 star, in my book.

Just after listening to the CD one time through, I was blown away by the humility, the honesty of his lyrics, and just how readily he will lay it on the line. In this regard in the R&B and Soul uber-genre, he is in the same elite class with Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. His gently and timid optimism make for a nice balancing act with the sometimes somber and slow sound. "I Cry" is honest and strong, with a nice syncopated beat being played by a xylophone or vibraphone. "Georgie Parker" is an inspirational song about a young man and is very melodic and memorable; it was the first track to stand out to me. "Day Dreamin" is my favorite single track, and is probably my favorite of his of whole collection. "Last Night", with Sunshine Anderson and Dolo Pichino, both also of the Soulife label, could easily be a big radio R&B hit. "Love and War" with Macy Gray, is long, and rightfully so; the theme has been done before, but, he adds so much of his own blue collar, powerful style to it, that it seems like its the first time you've heard a song about the dangers of love and fighting. There is no real weak track on the CD. You don't want to skip anything, to get to anything else, it's that good. That is why I do not rank his other 2 recent LP's so highly. They both have filler tracks. Too bad he didn't get to stay and blossom more with the label, as it seems he first spoke to his muse, in this phase.

Buy this CD. It will become one of your favorite modern soul LP's instantly, and, I believe, for many, it will also become one of their favorite recordings, of all time, regardless of genre or era.

From start to finish Anthony's smokey soulful voice will tickle your eardrums and please your senses. A huge fan of the soulful jazzed up singers I was excited to get a taste of Hamilton, and after having this album suggested to me I raced to get it in my stereo. I have to say that I have never been this pleased with a purchase in general. Every single song is just right, from the steady groove of the opener 'I used to love someone' to the slow jam vibe from the closer 'Exclusivly'. Some highlights include the hard knock tail in 'Georgie Parker' and the song 'Ball and Chain' which takes a unique take on the popular phrase. 'Love and War' is one of the greatest duets I've heard in a long time, and I am NOT a fan of Miss Gray but she compliments Anthony perfectly her leaving us with a great great track. Other highlights (I mean seriously, the whole album is great) include 'Love is so Complicated' and 'Clearly' which has a nice laid back soothing vibe to it, and Anthony's vocals are spot on. Just pop this disc in and let Anthony caress your ears with one of if not the best album you could own!

Anthony Hamilton's new CD is amazing. I loved Comin' From Where i'm From and Soulife has just made me more of a fan. The song lyrics have meaning to them...they're not the typical love songs, but you can definitely feel the love. The arrangement of the melodies and the production are top notch. I just really love the album. If you're one of those people who can appreciate the lyrics to a song that talk about real life issues, and also appreciate music that brings you joy just from listening, holla at this album!