There is a tradition in classic black music that goes back to the smooth crooning of Sam Cooke, the earthy, gritty, sound of Otis Redding, the lyrical beauty of Curtis Mayfield and the unfiltered intensity of Donny Hathaway. It's a combination of church-rooted hallelujah praisin’ and tell-it-like-it-is storytellin’. Few contemporary artists are equipped to carry the torch with any sense of authenticity but Anthony Hamilton is the soulful - exception. Filling an obvious void in today’s marketplace, Anthony’s pure, unadulterated, emotion-filled vocals mixed with a no-holds-barred approach to truth-telling appeals to music buyers worldwide.

Now with the release of Southern Comfort, the Hamilton tradition – born of his Southern roots and the pathway created by soul greats such as Bill Withers, Bobby Womack, Al Green and Marvin Gaye – continues. This album was recorded before Anthony Hamilton received critical acclaim or reached multi-platinum status with his astonishing solo album, Comin’ From Where I’m From. Before the Grammy’s and the Fame, Southern Comfort echoes his early days of when there was only the music and a dream.

Southern Comfort was crafted through years of struggle between 2000 and 2002 in New York and Los Angeles. Anthony Hamilton wrote these songs while struggling to find his niche, his identity and his home as a recording artist. This musical, magnus opus represents the last of the songs that were professionally recorded but never released. With no outlet for his work the pain and turmoil of professional/personal limbo was poured into this album. Packed with a mix of funky rhythms and soulful love songs, Southern Comfort is a continuation of the journey Anthony Hamilton began during his formative years in Charlotte. Citing musical pioneers such as Johnny Guitar Watson, Bobby Womack, Al Green and Bill Withers among his primary musical influences, Anthony also credits “the muddy water I grew up on as a child” for his rich-yet-gritty vocal sound. Anthony, began singing in his local church choir at age 10, and spent his teen years making the rounds on the local nightclub and talent show circuit, performing alongside fellow Charlotte natives Horace Brown and the members of Jodeci.

A barber stylist by trade, Hamilton left Charlotte in 1993 for New York City, signing with Andre Harrell’s Uptown Records imprint, at the time the epicenter for ‘new jack swing’ and the bourgeoning hip-hop–soul movement with an all-star roster that included Jodeci, Heavy D, Mary J. Blige and Guy. The label folded soon after he completed his unreleased first album in 1995 and Hamilton switched to MCA which released his widely overlooked debut CD, 1996’s XTC. A move to the Los Angeles-based Soulife label looked promising and Anthony recorded another album’s worth of new material while penning songs for other artists, including Sunshine Anderson (“Last Night”) and Donell Jones (“U Know What’s Up,” “Pushin’”).

In 2000, D’Angelo recruited Hamilton to sing background vocals on his worldwide Voodoo Tour. “I went all over the world—Europe, Brazil—and had the best time of my life,” Hamilton recalls. But by the time he returned from globetrotting with D’Angelo, the label who had signed him had gone under. “I became depressed,” Hamilton confesses. “I was like, ‘Why? Lord, why? All this love I have for the music—what’s going on?’ Still, I kept praying and working and looking for a better deal.”

For the next two years, Hamilton kept busy recording the material that would become Southern Comfort and singing background vocals, appearing on songs by likes of Eve (“Ride Away”), Xzibit (“The Gambler”) and 2Pac (“Thugz Mansion”). Finally, in 2002, he received the break he’d been waiting for when he was tapped to sing the catchy chorus on “Po’ Folks,” the lead single from Nappy Roots’ debut album, Watermelon, Chicken and Gritz. Thanks to Hamilton’s contribution, the song was nominated for Best Rap/Song Collaboration at the 2003 Grammy’s. The day of the ceremony, renowned entertainment attorney L. Londell McMillan, invited Hamilton to close the show at his star-studded Grammy brunch. Blown away by the singer’s galvanizing performance, Michael Mauldin, a music industry veteran with a famously keen eye for talent, urged his son, Atlanta hit maker Jermaine Dupri, to take a meeting with Hamilton. Dupri indulged his father’s request and, after absorbing an earful of the singer’s work, eagerly signed him to his So So Def imprint within 48 hours.

Whether termed ‘alternative soul,’ ‘retro-soul’ or ‘neo-soul,’ Anthony’s music clearly hit a chord with an audience eager to hear real soul music. Comin’ From Where I’m From, spurred on by the success of its title track, the massive follow-up “Charlene” (which reached No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart in the spring of 2004 and garnered another Grammy nomination) not only sold over a million copies but garnered Anthony three history-making Grammy nominations: the album was nominated for Best Contemporary R&B Album while the Hamilton-penned title cut was nominated for both Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song (a songwriter’s award).

Southern Comfort is a true gem uncovered from the vaults, the last album of previously recorded and unreleased Anthony Hamilton material in existence. Anthony worked closely with 3 producers (Fanatic, Doug Coleman and Ced Solo) to create songs that flow with honesty and rawness rarely found in contemporary R & B. As soon as the screeching horns and funky twang of the bass line of the first track come on, “They Don’t Know Me” Anthony sings of the plight facing many men in today’s society, being unfairly scrutinized and fighting daily battles of prejudice and injustice. The ultra smooth “Magnolia’s Room” finds Anthony lamenting a lost, love and yearning for the woman that could no longer wait for her man to become successful. All of the love songs on the album make the heart simultaneously soar and break with bittersweet memories and long-forgotten feelings that are revealed in every soul stirring lyric. The other album cuts, “Fallin In Love Again,” and “Better Love” are the other, excellent examples of classic love songs.

The deeper material on the album gives evidence that Southern Comfort is his most prolific project exploding with biting, social commentary. Similar to Marvin Gaye’s groundbreaking What’s Goin’ On Anthony is clearly making a musical stand. “Don’t Say what You Won’t Do,” speaks directly to the apathetic members of society. From the first haunting notes, Anthony’s trembling alto calls out, “If you see me walking down the street, and I start to cry, don’t walk on by…”. The song speaks to everyone from the soldiers in Iraq to politicians and regular people, some of the lyrics also include these powerful lines, “don’t walk by me like you don’t understand, don’t say what you won’t do, because you never know what’s coming right up to you.” He even brings the church into it, pleading “I can help save you and your family. I’m standing here with tears… I ran with the best of them, hung with the rest of them and they learned to love.” “Trouble” is his ode to real Fathers and the poignant, “Glad U Called” beautifully sums up that crossroad in everyone’s life when you are ready to give up, “I been working on this since ’93..and it don’t feel good to me, because there’s war, famine, diseases. I’m so sick, sick and tired of all that the world is offering.” Always returning to his musical messages of positivity, Southern Comfort also contains the whimsical, “Why” and the inspirational “Never Give Up.” After taking the listener on an emotional rollercoaster he finishes the album by showcasing his unforgettable falsetto on “Please” and ends Southern Comfort with the high-spirited, feel-good, anthem “Sailin’ Away.”

Anthony has proved to be the real deal and with the release of Southern Comfort, April 3, 2007 on Imperial/Merovingian Music the world will get an opportunity to hear more music from one of the greatest singer/songwriters of our time, Anthony Hamilton.