Customer Reviews
4.5 stars: Gritty, Smoky, Neo Blues.................... 
2007-01-14
Superb song writing and well sung songs. Anthony Hamilton hits the nail on the head with such hits as Mama Knew Love, Comin where I'm From, Charlene, Float, Lucille and Better Days. His voice is a mix of Charlie Wilson and Bill Withers.
A Great One 
2007-01-11
I read that he was simuilar to Bill Withers and Bobby Womack and he really is. He is so real and the music very down home.If you like the style of Bill Withers and Bobby Womack you will come to be a big fan of Anthony Hamilton.
My first AH album! 2006-08-27
This was my first album by Anthony Hamilton and I fell in love with all of the tunes except Chyna Black - I had to listen to it a few times before I could get into it.
Otherwise, I like his music because he is so very real and down to earth. His words tend to talk about reality and not just what the mainstream wants to hear. Basically, it is down home storytelling.
I hope he keeps writing and singing in his own style and never change.
I'm a Mess 2006-08-09
I know he has a newer album out, but I am still obsessed with Anthony Hamilton's "I'm a Mess," from 2003's Comin' From Where I'm From. And here's why:
There's just something about Anthony Hamilton's voice. Its rough, gravelly quality smoothed out with a bit of molasses betrays a long history of pain, of rough times, of love lost and found. His voice is instantly recognizable: gruff and gritty, yet tender; strong and earthy, with a thin undercurrent of emotional fragility just below the surface. And while the very timbre of his voice is a play on opposites, one thing is for certain: Anthony Hamilton sings the truth, chile.
The song begins with Hamilton's belting out a loud and soulful "Oh." But it's not just any "oh." Oh no. Immediately, this "oh" hints at the despair, the frustration, and a bit of hopefulness that he's feeling. And this "oh" leaves you smoldering. Guts wrenched out. Get ready for what's coming up. Anthony's got a story to tell you.
He's split up with his lover, his best friend, his soul mate. Any breakup is painful to some degree, but this particular kind, the kind I like to call the "no call, no show" tactic, has got to be one of the worst:
You could have called, you could have wrote, you could have tried
I'd rather you slit me `cross the throat so I can die
Instead of leaving, no explanation as to why
You don't want me no more
Anyone who's been dumped in this way immediately understands the bewilderment; the betrayal; the endless questioning of self; the indescribable pain. Oh Jah, the crippling pain:
I'm a mess right now, I can't eat, can't sleep
Bills are piling high, ain't worked in three weeks
Ain't bathed, can't shave, `cause my heart is so tender like living in a blender
I'm shaken and I'm stirred
Hamilton's sorrowful pace is relentless. The listeners get no reprieve from the emotional journey he takes you on. In fact, after the second verse and chorus, the backup singers sing the following:
Call me, write me, love me
Come home
You think it's going to end at two repetitions, but no. It becomes the song's coda and becomes a seemingly endless pleading for the loved one's return. It's an emotional request from the spurned lover whose level of loneliness increases with each increasing octave. Call me. Write me. Love me. Come home.
If you're a sensitive bitch like me, I dare you to not be able to identify - or to not cry, even - singing along to this part. As the pitch increases, your throat and vocal cords tie themselves into knots - but does your throat hurt because you're not that great a singer and are having trouble reaching the notes, or is it painful because each repetition brings that all-too-familiar ball in your throat, as if you were holding back the tears? And at the same time the pitch increases, the coda takes you to a deeper level of pain and desperation: This visceral reaction is almost as if it was you, in fact, who was left behind by a lover who disappeared without a trace.
Or maybe you really are that person who was left behind, in which case, this song becomes an emotional post-breakup catharsis. And maybe through the sorrow in Hamilton's voice, you eventually realize that he will never call. He will never write. He will never love you. And he will never come home.
But you will get through it. Eventually.
Soulful Singing From The Heart 2006-07-02
This is soulful singing from the heart. The first time that I heard this CD I knew that Anthony Hamilton was going places. I love all of his music. This CD and all of his other CDs are really worth buying. His music is on the feel good, easy to listen to style. He sings about love and the good and right things in life.
Not Bad 
2008-03-29
I came across Anthony Hamilton after getting a sampler Cd from HMV which featured' Better days'. I must have rewinded that one song more times than I care to remember. Based on that excellent song, I was chomping at the bits for the CD to be released. Well my Little Sister beat me to the punch, so I was able to borrow her copy. To be honest, my view upon hearing it then, is the same as now. Whilst I'd admit the Mr. Hamilton can sing, and there are some nice moments on board, to my mind it's not a must have 5 star release. I don't know if this says more about the R&B scene nowadays that an OK release that hankers back to the Southern Soul sound of yester year is treated as the next best thing. Oh, I still love 'better days'.
Not as bad as they say it is 2008-03-15
Anthony Hamilton's second album has received praise as well as harsh criticism. Im on the praise side because I genuinely like his music. Comin From Where I'm From was a soulful joint that turned me on to his music. Charlene and Since I Seen You are pretty good tracks too. Lucille is my favorite track on the album. On this song, Anthony tells a story of a woman who is abused and how she left Anthony for the abuser. There are a few songs I dont care for. Cornbread, Fish & Collard Greens is a riot and not in a good way. Better Days, My First Love featuring Latoiya Williams and Chyna Black are also songs I could do without. Other than these flaws this album is not bad and warrants a listen. Anthony Hamilton's Comin From Where Im From is definitely a slept-on album for 2003 and you know what the crazy thing is? The same people who trounced this album turned around and jumped on the bandwagon when Soulife came out. Aint life grand? Standouts: SINCE I SEEN YOU, CHARLENE, IM A MESS, COMIN FROM WHERE I'M FROM, LUCILLE, FLOAT and I TRIED.
Listen up, fans & non-fans alike. 2007-11-25
1. Mama Knew *3:28* 4/5
2. C,F&CG *4:33* 1.5/5
3. Since I've Seen't You *3:15* 4.25/5
4. Charlene *4:06* 3.75/5
5. I'm A Mess *4:24* 5.5/5
6. Comin' From Where I'm From *4:00* 4.75/5
7. Better Days *3:02* 4.25/5
8. Lucille *4:28* 6/5
9. Float *5:41* 5/5
10. My First Love Feat. Loyoiya Williams *6:14* 4.25/5
11. Chyna Black *3:59* 2.75/5
12. I Tried *5:02* 4/5
Cover Art: B+
Songwriting: B- (CF&CG lowers it big time and I'm A Mess heightens in spades and spades. Second best track.)
Production: A- (Check out Lucille and be utterly speechless in amazement and awe!!!!!)
Length: A-
Overall: B
50/12 = 4.166666666666667
4.166666666666667 = 4.17
4.17 stars.
A few good songs 2007-03-30
I like this style of music. But as far as this album goes... It's just "OK". It's one of those albums that is nice to have if you want to listen to that genre, but not necessarily something that you'd listen to every day. The stuff gets quite stale after a little bit. :(
Anthony Hamilton - Comin' From Where I'm From 2007-03-05
Chilling in the late night now listening to Anthony Hamilton's sophomore album "Comin' From Where I'm From" (2003). Listening to this release is a pleasure, Anthony Hamilton laces this record with soulful vocals, taking his audience through an enjoyable journey. I became familiar with Hamilton a few years ago, when he made a memorable guest appearance on Jadakiss single "Why". North Carolina's Anthony Hamilton opens this release up with a heartfelt tribute to his mother on "Mama Knew Love". My favourite track on this release is the sensational single "Charlene", Anthony Hamilton shines on this joint about losing one's loved one. I especially like the chorus to this memorable joint. On the follow up track "I'm A Mess", Hamilton mourns the women who walked out of his life without an explanation. Another single on this release and highlight is the title track "Comin From Where I'm From", Anthony Hamilton recalls how life can be away around his way, while singing about more heartbreak on "Lucille". Latoya Williams and Anthony Hamilton provide a duet with "My First Love". I appreciate the passion/realness Anthony Hamilton puts into his music, the end result is substantial music, that will stand the test of time. I recommend "Comin' From Where I'm From" for the collection.
