"Southern Hospitality" by Anthony Hamilton is a compilation album that is not bad by any means. All die-hard Hamilton fans should own it, despite the fact that it leaked onto the Internet a week ago. It is not a defining statement on soul and does not have the punch of his previous two albums because it consists of leftover songs. They were not good enough to get a spot on his previous records, but they are not at all bad, because they showcase his immense vocal skill.
Hamilton is definitely one of the most talented active male soul singers. The North Carolina-born Hamilton sang in school choirs, moved to New York City, signed a contract with Uptown Records, and released a largely unnoticed (did I say brilliant?) album called "XTC" in 1996.
The record that made him famous was the 2003 "Comin' from Where I'm From." It went platinum in no time, stayed on the Billboard Charts for 26 weeks and won three Grammy awards. In a time when sampled beats and little substance was the norm, Hamilton brought a much-needed soulful revival in the tradition of the great '70s soul legends: Stevie Wonder, Teddy Pendergrass, and others. After being featured in two post-mortem Tupac songs, Hamilton re-released his third and best album, "Soullife" with So So Def Records in 2005, which brings us to "Southern Hospitality."
No jewels can be found in the pond, but the pond looks good nevertheless. Hamilton follows a familiar formula, combining the '90s R&B mentality with classic '70s soul and a lot of gospel thrown in for good measure. The best track is undoubtedly "Don't Say What You Won't Do," a great demonstration of Hamilton's vocal abilities. The record is full of 70s nostalgia and nice beats, but Hamilton's singing is his strongest asset. Each track seems to blend his unique blues voice with incredibly clear back vocals and some powerful choirs.
Every song is emotional and sung from the heart. With powerful lyrics, especially in "Glad U Called," "Please," and "Sailin Away," Hamilton tries to incorporate some other elements as well. There is a nice guitar riff in "Never Give Up" and pop sound throughout. Sometimes these efforts backfire: in the track "Please," his voice becomes ridiculously high-pitched and has a very comical effect in an embarrassing way.
The only real disappointment in the record is a song titled very self-referentially, "Why." Why really? What is the point of this song? Anthony's vocals clearly missed this one.
All in all, it is a lackluster album from a great artist who is one of the few saving figures in contemporary soul. My advice is to go without this one and wait for another chart-topping, Grammy-winning and jaw-dropping So So Def release.