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| Anthony Hamilton |
I am very happy to be alive and well this year, 2012. I don’t wish that I could have lived years ago to see and hear some of the great musicians of yesterday. I don’t wish I was younger like so many persons either. Because I am well over forty years old at this time I have heard some of the great soul and funk music of the 70’s and 80’s firsthand. However, I am still young enough to appreciate hip-hop and rap music too. Not to mention other genres like Country, Classical, Jazz, Blues, Rock and Metal. All forms of music have really evolved and are much more accessible due to the influence of technology. Even with all the tremendous advances in music there are still artists who come along with a sound that reminds us of how music sounded in years past. Today, we have several of what I like to call “throwback” vocalist on the scene, but one in particular is Anthony Hamilton. I can remember back in 2003 as he released his first solo effort how special and wonderful his voice sounded with songs that worked well for him. Hamilton seems like he could fit easily into one of the great Soul groups like the Temptations, O’Jays or Spinners. For me to say that means Anthony Hamilton, in my opinion, is on top of the talent food chain today. If any readers disagree, you might want to take a listen to his new album “Back to Love”. The material is a little different than previous albums from Hamilton but in this case different means well-done. Perhaps this is because Hamilton took three years before releasing the current album. Sometimes that time spent between recordings can give an artist perspective and forethought on how to best put together the next album. In listening to “Back to Love” this seems to be the case. Nevertheless, Anthony Hamilton still delivers the vocals that brought him initial notice. Already with one Grammy Award in his display case, I feel Hamilton may need to make room for a couple more. We’ll see. Much success Anthony!