Anthony Hamilton: Incomparable New CD Soars

The customary arc for a musical artist of any nominal success is to come out strong with a debut CD, develop a loyal fan base and then eschew growth and invention for formulaic, stale musical platitudes to remain “relevant.”

Anthony Hamilton is not “customary” in any sense of the word. When he first came on to the scene, Mo’Kelly personally wasn’t sure whether he was an artist with a great voice and a great first CD, yet would slowly slide with future CDs. Success sometimes breeds complacency and artists sometimes never find their way back musically to what originally made him or her special.

Or maybe Hamilton was only “good” relative to his peers and stood out mainly because of the dearth of real singers and songwriters. True stars display genius throughout the breath and depth of a career, not only at the beginning. Up until now Mo’Kelly wasn’t sure exactly how Hamilton’s career should be characterized.

Hamilton’s latest CD, The Point of It All answered each and every question that I might have about his musical prowess with a resounding, if not defiant proclamation.

This music is simply mouthwatering.

It is both gorgeous and delightfully decadent in its presentation. If you know anything about Hamilton, you know he loves to cook and it’s gleefully evident with the care and attention to subtle detail in the portions and “ingredients” used.

For example, the song Prayin’ For You/Superman boldly features an African percussive rhythm, blues slide guitar topped off with old-time religion gospel-esque vocals bringing the message home. If that isn’t “Soul Food”…I don’t know what is.

Off the chains… Off the chains!

The multi-layered and multi-cultural music feast theme flows throughout the fullness of the CD. From the “rock-hop” Soul’s on Fire, to the almost imperceptible reggae underpinnings of the lead single, Cool, to even the Elvis-sounding, Fallin’ in Love, this is a chef’s delight.

Take time to appreciate the prominence of musical instruments and the acknowledgment of R&B decades of yore. What’s more amazing is that Hamilton gives us something genuinely new and progressive in a musical sense; not just “different” for the sake of being different.

It would be unfair, if not untrue to call him a “Neo-soul” artist as his musical artistry has moved far beyond such boundaries. But just in case you thought that Hamilton might have strayed too far from home, he titles his CD (not-so-concidentally) with arguably, conceivably, possibly, the coldest, funkiest, drop-dead ballad he’s ever recorded. To use one more last culinary metaphor, he knows which side his bread is buttered on…

Yes, Hamilton knew exactly what he was doing…and I guess that was The Point of it All. Easily, one of the best CDs of 2008 and no better way to bring the year to a close.

The Mo'Kelly Report is an entertainment journal with a political slant; published weekly at www.eurweb.com. It is meant to inform, infuse and incite meaningful discourse...as well as entertain. The Mo’Kelly Report is syndicated by Newstex and Blogburst. For more Mo’Kelly, http://www.mokellyreport.blogspot.com.

Morris W. O'Kelly can be reached at mokellyreport@sbcglobal.net and he welcomes all commentary.