Following up on his debut record 3 Chords and the Truth,
which the Atlanta Journal-Constitution called “the best
record to come out of this city since Usher’s”, Atlanta artist
Anthony David is set to release his second record Red
Clay Chronicles on Brash Music on September 26th. Red
Clay Chronicles continues David’s journey to recapture
the sound of Soul music that harkens back to the genre’s
banner era of the 60s and into the dawn of the 70s.
Savannah, Georgia, was David’s home before migrating
to Atlanta to jumpstart his music career. Shortly after
arriving, he befriended another young, aspiring, and
multi-gifted artis–her name was India.Arie. “India was
about the first person I met when I got to Atlanta. I saw her
at The Underground and she looked cool, so we started
talking, and I learned that we both liked the same artists,
and we began sharing music. We were friends for 3 years
before I even knew she could sing.” Through his friendship
with India, he found an outlet to express his thoughts
and emotions in songwriting. “India had been playing the
guitar, so I bought one and started messing around with it.”
David went on to write the song “Part of my Life” for India’s
critically acclaimed and multi-Grammy nominated album
Acoustic Soul. “It wasn’t until I heard some Bill Withers
songs that I got the inspiration to really try singing and
then I sort of found my vocal stride.”
“I’ve written stories all my life, so this is a continuation of
that; I am a singer/songwriter first, I pick up instruments,
learn ‘em and make songs with ‘em. While traveling around
the country and Europe playing the last two years, I was
able to soak up sounds from everywhere I went, which
has had a big influence on this record. I’ve also learned so
much about working in a studio the last few years that I
was able to take a strong hold on the production of this
record. I haven’t changed direction musically, I’ve just
been able to grow and expand my sound.”
David’s music is still an R&B and Soul melting pot, and this
time he called on his many friends in the Atlanta music
community to lend a hand to his songs.
Video by Harmony in Life TV.
Comparing RCC
to 3 Chords, he explains “It’s another ride through the
rhythms that I like, but this time with a lot more emphasis
on beats. I enlisted the help of every Atlanta musician I
could get a hold of, from keys to horns and everything
in between. I wanted it to represent my scene or at least
my perspective of the scene and let everybody else hear
what kind of flavor and diversity we have here in the
South. Everyone who plays on this record has been a part
of something big before, so they lent me that energy to
try and help me get big. The vocalists are some of the
real deal folks from around this way, like PJ Morton, Tori
Alamaze, Laurnea, Kiesha Jackson and of course India.
There’s more of an R&B flavor to this record, as opposed
to the soul leanings of 3 Chords, but I think that drawing
too fine a line of distinction between R&B and Soul is kind
of dumb anyway.”
The title track “Red Clay Chronicles” is about
gentrification and the pros and cons of rebuilding the
inner city, oftentimes at the expense of pushing out
the long-time residents. “Kin Folk” is an up-tempo ode
to the South’s time-honored tradition of big annual
family reunions. “ATL Sunshine” is David’s homage
to his new hometown, and he soars on the distinctly
romantic tracks, “Words” (featuring vocals from India.
Arie), “On and On” and “Lady”. RCC gets a jazz infusion
with the song “Smoke One with Earl” featuring guitarist,
jazz master Earl Klugh. And there are still plenty of
introspective songs like “Stop Playin”, “Smoke One”,
and “You Can Do Better” that point out the foibles of
humanity but with a more melodic vibe.
David’s musical growth is evident on Red Clay Chronicles,
and it is obvious that he is ready to step up to the top
echelon of R&B and Soul artists.
Links:
Official Website
Anthony David on Myspace
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