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The Lone Sharks

Nine Lives

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Moneyland

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I'm Not There (Original Soundtrack)

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Soulife

Anthony Hamilton

Fans of ‘soul’ music know that there is a huge disparity between old school vocalists and the post-new-jack-swing variety. The early breed had a style that stemmed directly from the gospel church, and the emotion flowed directly from the singer’s heart. The new breed puts style over substance, using the tools of the church without investing any real emotion. They abuse melisma (floating around the note) and a multi-octave range as if they convey emotion all by themselves. The difference between the two is like the difference between biting into a juicy peach and biting into a plastic replica of a peach. From a distance, they might appear the same, but the sensual experience each offers is phenomenally different.

Anthony Hamilton is firmly embedded in the old-school style of soul music. He sings for the song, not on top of it, and you always understand (and believe) the meaning in his words. “Soulife” compiles tracks that were recorded before his recent success, but they do not betray their age and sound thoroughly contemporary. His stylization here is subtle, which is both an advantage and a disadvantage. The subtlety works because the songs never overwhelm or attempt to bowl you over. The disadvantage is that it takes a while for the nuances of the music to percolate and reveal themselves to the listener. Like Maxwell, or D’Angelo, Anthony Hamilton makes CD’s that require patience, or the right moment (preferably with the lights turned down). Romantic and deeply soulful, ‘Soulife’ is long on grooves but short on hooks, which is just fine if the company is right.
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