Anthony Hamilton , Acclaimed R&B/Soul Artist Anthony Hamilton Discusses His Album, Ain't Nobody Worryin'

Anthony Hamilton

Two years ago, Anthony Hamilton emerged as one of the most acclaimed, best-selling artists in the R&B genre, with his platinum album Comin’ From Where I’m From and his hit single “Charlene.” Then earlier this year (2005), the release of his older album Soulife went gold and further solidified his reputation. And now with the release of his new CD Ain’t Nobody Worryin’ (on So So Def/Zomba Records), Hamilton is set to attract an even larger audience.

Hamilton has become known for having a powerful, distinctive voice, in the tradition of great soul singers like Bill Withers, Bobby Womack and Otis Redding. He is also a talented songwriter, and he co-wrote all 12 songs on his new album, with such top writer/producers as Mark Batson, Raphael Saadiq, James Poyser and Kelvin Wooten.

In a new interview, Hamilton talked about the making of Ain’t Nobody Worryin’, and some of the key songs on the album. He also discussed his long, career path (starting with his first record deal in 1993) and the struggles and frustrations he experienced, before finally breaking through as an artist. In addition, Hamilton spoke about his collaborations with other artists (as a performer or songwriter) for their

projects, which have helped establish him as multi-faceted, wide-ranging talent.

Hamilton grew up in Charlotte, NC, where he first heard the classic soul artists that inspired him. “I loved listening to Al Green, Bill Withers, James Taylor, Johnnie Taylor, Gladys Knight and other great artists when I was growing up,” he recalled. Hamilton began singing in local church choirs at age 10, and he spent his teen years making the rounds and performing on the local nightclub and talent show circuit.

Then in 1993, Hamilton left Charlotte for New York City, where he signed with Uptown Records, which was one of the hottest R&B labels at the time (with Jodeci, Guy and Heavy D). However, by the time Hamilton had recorded his debut album (in 1995), the label had folded. He did make a switch to MCA Records, but his official debut album XTC was largely overlooked when it was released in 1996.

In 1999, Hamilton signed with Los Angeles-based Soulife Records, and he was anticipating the release of this album, which he had recorded and completed. However, this label also went out of business, which left his album unreleased (until it was finally issued with the title Soulife in 2005 by Atlantic/Rhino Records). This was an unfortunate series of events for Hamilton. It’s a fairly common plight for an artist to be caught in one, bad label situation. But for Hamilton to be victimized by two labels before he could establish his artist career, was a devastating blow.

“I became depressed,” said Hamilton. “I was like, ‘Why? Lord, why? All this love I have for music – what’s going on?’ Still, I kept praying and working and looking for a better deal. I knew that I had come too far to turn back.”

On the positive side, Hamilton (during this period of label struggles) became a successful songwriter, co-writing songs for other artists such as Sunshine Anderson (“Last Night”) and Donell Jones (“U Know What’s Up, “Pushin’). In addition, he toured extensively with D’Angelo as a background vocalist, and he sang vocals on cuts by Eve (“Ryde Away”), Xzibit (“The Gambler”) and 2 Pac (“Thugz Mansion”).

It was in 2002 that Hamilton caught a big break, when he was brought in by the Nappy Roots to sing the catchy chorus on their song, “Po’ Folks” (from the group’s debut CD, Watermelon, Chicken and Gritz). The song became a hit (thanks in part to his vocals), and received a Grammy nomination for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. On the day of the 2003 Grammy Awards, Hamilton was invited to perform at the star-studded brunch, where he impressed music veteran Michael Mauldin (who is the father of Atlanta hitmaker Jermaine Dupri). Mauldin set up a meeting for Hamilton to meet with and sing for Dupri, which led to Dupri quickly signing him to his So So Def label.

Hamilton went on to record his breakthrough, platinum CD Comin’ From Where I’m From, which included the hit “Charlene.” He also received three Grammy nominations, for Best Contemporary R&B Album, Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance (for the title cut), and Best R&B Song.

Three of the album’s key songs (including “Charlene”) were written by Hamilton with hit writer/producer Mark Batson, and the duo teamed up again to write five songs for the new Ain’t Nobody Worryin’ (including the single “Can’t Let Go” and the sexy, uptempo “Sista Big Bones”). Hamilton also wrote three songs with Kelvin Wooten, and a song with Raphael Saadiq (from Tony! Toni! Tone!).

For his latest album project, Hamilton was in a relaxed and positive mood as he recorded the new CD, since he had finally established his artist career with the success of Comin’ From Where I’m From. “It was great to just focus on the music for the new album,” said Hamilton. “I knew I didn’t have to fight with a label anymore – I could just have a great time, write and record the songs, and make the best music possible.”

In addition to recording Ain’t Nobody Worryin’, Hamilton has been busy contributing to other artists’ projects, recording duet vocals and co-writing. “I did a song called ‘Twisted’ for the new Santana album (All That I Am),”

he said. “It was written by Nandi Willis & Dante Ross. We did this song, and it was magic. I really like how this song turned out.” Hamilton also recently worked with blues legend Buddy Guy for his album Bring ‘Em In (singing a duet with Guy on the Bob Dylan classic, “Lay Lady Lay”), and he just collaborated with The Game on a song for the rapper’s next CD.