The Point of It All

The Point of It All
Studio album by Anthony Hamilton
Released December 16, 2008
Recorded 2007–08
Genre R&B, soul, neo soul
Length 59:20
Label Arista, Zomba
Producer Avila Brothers, Mark Batson, Dre & Vidal, Anthony Hamilton, Ramon Montgomery, Jack Splash, Kelvin Wooten, James "Big Jim" Wright
Anthony Hamilton chronology
Southern Comfort
(2007)Southern Comfort2007		 The Point of It All
(2008)		 Back to Love
(2011)Back to Love2011
Singles from The Point of It All
  1. "Cool"
  2. "The Point of It All"
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Entertainment Weekly(B)[2]
New York Times(favorable)[3]
The New Yorker(favorable)[4]
PopMatters(8/10)[5]
Rolling Stone[6]
Spin[7]
USA Today[8]
Vibe(favorable)[9]
Washington Post(favorable)[10]

The Point of It All is the fourth studio album by American R&B and soul singer-songwriter Anthony Hamilton. It was released on December 16, 2008, by Arista Records in the United States. The album serves as a follow-up from his album Ain't Nobody Worryin' (2005). The album's production was handled by Hamilton himself along with Mark Batson, Kevin Wooten, Dre & Vidal, James "Big Jim" Wright and Salaam Remi, among others.

The album debuted at number 12 on the US Billboard 200 and at number 3 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, selling 133,000 copies in its first week of release, the highest sales week of his career. Upon its release, The Point of It All received generally positive reviews from most music critics, based on an aggregate score of 72/100 from Metacritic.[11] As of May 2010, the album has sold over 519,000 copies in the United States and was certified gold in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[12]

Singles

The album's lead single "Cool" featuring David Banner, and it peaked at number 74 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and at number 19 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

Critical reception

The Critical Reception towards the album was very positive with critics comparing him to past soul vocalists.[13][14] For example, Mike Joseph of Pop Matters claimed he was "an artist capable of filling the void created when Gerald LeVert and Luther Vandross passed away.[13]" The opening track of the album drew comparisons to past artists tackle on social issues. Andy Kellman of AllMusic wrote "The album's opener, "The News," is as poignant as Curtis Mayfield's "Pusherman" and Willie Hutch's "Brothers Gonna Work It Out"".[14] Edward Bowser of Soul in Stereo also stated[15] "Sort of like a more hip “What’s Going On,” about constant drama on the news and the need for a savior."

Distinct praise was given to his voice. Mike Joseph of PopMatters wrote "His raspy tone has drawn comparisons to everyone from Bill Withers to Bobby Womack, ... he’s proven himself to be one of the few current artists capable of sounding like an authentic throwback (as opposed to a pale facsimile) and completely contemporary at the same time.[13]" Andy Kellman of AllMusic wrote "Vocally, Hamilton has never been as dynamic as he is on this song, switching between his grittily textured baritone and surprisingly effective upper register.[14]"

Track listing

No.TitleProducerLength
1."The News"Mark Batson3:34
2."Cool" (featuring David Banner)David Banner, Ramon Montgomery4:16
3."The Day We Met"Mark Batson3:58
4."Diamond in the Rough"Dre & Vidal3:37
5."I Did It for Sho"Salaam Remi3:19
6."Hard to Breathe"Mark Batson4:12
7."Soul's on Fire"Mark Batson4:23
8."Please Stay"Jack Splash5:03
9."The Point of It All"James "Big Jim" Wright, Avila Brothers3:50
10."Fallin' in Love"Mark Batson3:07
11."Prayin' For You/Superman"Kelvin Wooten7:54
12."Her Heart"Kelvin Wooten4:03
13."Fine Again"Kelvin Wooten4:30
14."She's Gone" (Bonus track)Dwight Myers3:28

References

  1. ↑ Kellman, Andy. Review: The Point of It All. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-11-22.
  2. ↑ Kot, Greg. Review: The Point of It All. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2009-11-22.
  3. ↑ Pareles, Jon. Review: The Point of It All. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2009-11-22.
  4. ↑ Greenman, Ben. Review: The Point of It All. The New Yorker. Retrieved on 2009-11-22.
  5. ↑ Joseph, Mike. Review: The Point of It All. PopMatters. Retrieved on 2009-11-22.
  6. ↑ Rosen, Jody. Review: The Point of It All. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2009-11-22.
  7. ↑ Peisner, David. Review: The Point of It All. Spin. Retrieved on 2009-11-22.
  8. ↑ Jones, Steve. Review: The Point of It All. USA Today. Retrieved on 2009-11-22.
  9. ↑ Ramirez, Erika. Review: The Point of It All. Vibe. Retrieved on 2009-11-22.
  10. ↑ Friskics-Warren, Bill. Review: The Point of It All. The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2009-11-22.
  11. ↑ The Point of It All (2008): Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2009-11-22.
  12. ↑ "RIAA – Searchable Database". RIAA. May 27, 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-11.
  13. 1 2 3 Joseph, Mike (January 7, 2009). "Pop Matters Review". Pop Matters. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  14. 1 2 3 Kellman, Andy. "All Music Review". AllMusic. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  15. ↑ Bowser, Edward (February 11, 2009). "Soul in Stereo Review". Soul in Stereo. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
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