Anthony Hamilton Comin' From Where I'm From CD

Singer/Songwriter. Has 2 Songs On Fighting Temptations Soundtrack. Copy Protected.

Personnel: Anthony Hamilton, LaToiya Williams (vocals); Mark Batson (various instruments, programming); Erick Coomes (guitar, bass); Isaac Phillips, Clay Sears (guitar); James Poyser (keyboards, background vocals); David Balfour (keyboards); Pino Palladino, Derrick Hodge (bass); Franklyn Walker, Tyler Coomes (drums); Greene Jones, Jeanine Smith, Carol Riddick (background vocals).
Producers include: James Poyser, Mark Batson, Cedric Solomon, Anthony Hamilton, Junius Bervine.
Recorded at Southside, Atlanta, Georgia; Allustrious, New York, New York; Cherokee, Los Angeles, California; Axis Studios, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
COMIN' FROM WHERE I'M FROM was nominated for the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album. "Comin' From Where I'm From" was nominated for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance and for Best R&B Song.
This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.
Personnel: Anthony Hamilton (vocals, background vocals); Carol Riddick (vocals, background vocals); LaToiya Williams (vocals); Isaac Phillips, Clayton Sears, Eric Coomes (guitar); James Poyser (keyboards, background vocals); David Balfour (keyboards); Franklyn Walker, Tyler Coomes (drums); Mark Batson (drum programming); Yolanda Slocum, Jeannie Smith, Greg Jones, Nadine D. Walker (background vocals).
Audio Mixer: Phil Tan.
Recording information: Allustrious Recording Studios, New York, NY; AXIS Studios, Philadelphia, PA; CEDSOLO PRODUCTIONS Recording Studios, New Rochelle, NY; Cherokee Studios, LA, CA; Southside Recording Studios, Atlanta, GA; The Studio, Philadelphia, PA.
Photographer: Sonya Farrell.
Arranger: Anthony Hamilton.
After two albums recorded in the mid-'90s went unreleased and 1999's XTC was largely overlooked, former D'Angelo backup singer Anthony Hamilton's fourth bid for solo success, Comin' From Where I'm From feels more like a hard-won debut. Featuring savvy R&B production from the likes of Cedric Solomon and James Poyser of the Soulquarians, Comin' is a solid mix of organic period keyboards, guitars, and horns and cutting-edge "beats" and synthesizers. While some traditionalists may balk at the hip-hop-friendly sounds, it serves Hamilton well. Not only does it position him squarely at the forefront of the neo-soul movement, but it also allows him the aesthetic freedom to comment on a wide breadth of social and personal issues that harken back to the glory days of '70s soul without ever feeling dated. Listen to how the choir screams against Hamilton's throaty plea on "I'm a Mess," and it's hard not to think of early-'80s Prince, another artist who balanced a classic soul style with forward-thinking production. However, it is Hamilton's soft, earthy vocal style reminiscent of Bill Withers and gritty, personal lyrics evoking his youth growing up in Charlotte, NC that really carry the album. Like a more feminine-sounding D'Angelo with an eye for personal detail that would make Terry Callier envious, Hamilton's deft combination of world-weary fighter and sensitive poet plays out with both hardcore realism as on "Mama Knew Love," where he sings, "Mama knew love like the back streets/Used to wipe pee just to make the ends meet," and then urban humor on "Cornbread, Fish & Collard Greens," in which he wryly proclaims, "If you want it (I can rock your world)/If you want it (I put the juice in Jheri Curl)." Comin' from where anybody comes from, this is a great album. ~ Matt Collar
Anthony Hamilton grew up in North Carolina, caught the eye of record companies, and released a major-label record in 1997, XTC, which was critically lauded, but mostly forgotten and quickly out-of-print. Following this setback, Hamilton hung around the music biz, working on his songwriting and background vocals, until his big break came in 2002, singing the hook for the Nappy Roots hit "Po' Folks."
The musicEntertainment Weekly (10/31/03, p.74) - "...An excellent disc of warm, fuzzy R&B that should solidify his standing among the neo-soul crowd..." - Rating: B+
Q (3/04, p.105) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[D]efiantly old-school, bathing in Bobby Womack-style soul glow. It's also trenchantly grown-up..."
Mojo (Publisher) (3/04, p.104) - 3 stars out of 5 - "Grandiose yet still occasionally understated, this is regal stuff."