CD REVIEWS R&B
Anthony Hamilton, "The Point of It All" (Mister's Music)
A Southern soul singer in a hip-hop world, Hamilton flaunts his cultural differences. "Cool," the first single from this album, is Hamilton's latest endorsement of basic pleasures over conspicuous consumption. "If we ain't got enough for a movie, we can just sit at home," he sings. "In "She's Gone," he goes to his mama for relationship advice, and when he falls in love with one woman, he announces, over gospelly hand claps and tambourine, that he's "prayin' for you." Hamilton won't place himself in the niche of gospel, however. He's an R&B contender who sings hooks for hip-hop songs between his own albums, and he's determined to reach current radio audiences without jettisoning his roots. While there's usually a piano at the center of the music, Hamilton and his collaborators also know their way around samples, drum machines and contemporary references. In "I Did It for Show," Hamilton kisses off a former girlfriend by telling her that he tried "Maxed-out credit cards/ Throwing down at Chow's" just to get her attention.
For Hamilton, there's nothing retro about soul music.
JON PARELES, NEW YORK TIMES
COUNTRY
Trace Adkins, "X" (Capitol)
With Frank Rogers, one of Nashville's best producers, manning the board, Adkins shows his man's-man side with several solid rocking numbers, while "Muddy Water" provides gospel-infused uplift. Top-flight ballads anchor the collection, from the family-man plea "All I Ask for Anymore" to the haunting, piano-and-cello "I Can't Outrun You" and the honky-tonk "Sometimes a Man Takes a Drink." The ultimate stunner is "Till the Last Shot's Fired," a sobering soldiers' tale that salutes bravery but never glorifies war and ends on a truly inspired note -- with the West Point Cadet Glee Club singing the chorus.
NICK CRISTIANO, PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
Classical
Musica Intima, "O Nata" (Atma)
