Now that Anthony Hamilton has had time to settle in with fame — and it with him — you’d think “the ego” would rear its head, humility and grace would fall by the wayside, his air of cool would now seem smug and insincere.
But Anthony Hamilton is not that guy.
He’s still the ex-choir member who was trying to find his voice among the crowd, the ex-barber who knew he was destined for greatness, the native son made good.
His humility and grace are still intact.
“I’m just a dude who sings for a living,” Hamilton said matter-of-factly in a recent interview with Qcitymetro.com.
OK, no Grammy winner can be that humble.
“Alright,” he finally admits with an unassuming chuckle, “I’m just a dude with a good job who sings for a living.”
Hamilton says all the accolades still amaze him, even after more than a decade in the game. In addition to his Grammy and a host of other awards and nominations, his latest studio album, “The Point Of It All,” debuted at the top of Billboard’s R&B/Hip Hop chart.
And he’s currently touring — on crutches (he injured his knee during a tour date in Los Angeles) — but he couldn’t sound happier about the chance to perform.
“Oh, I still get up.” There’s that chuckle again.
Hamilton, who’s on the road with Musiq Soulchild, doesn’t let out too many secrets about the tour, which is closing Sunday (June 28) in the Qcity. But he does promise some surprises for his hometown fans.
Any secrets or surprises he is willing to share?
He’s working on new music — “Always. You’ve got to,” he says — and fans can expect a new album either at the end of this year or the beginning of 2010.
“It’ll be sooner, way sooner” than the four years fans had to wait for “Point.”
What will the new album sound like? He’s not sure, he says, and he’s not playing coy this time.
“Maybe it’ll be blues. Maybe it’ll be country,” he muses.
Hamilton says he’ll continue to experiment with his sound. He has written for the likes of blues star Jonny Lang and John Rich (of country duo Big & Rich). He’s recorded duets with Josh Turner and most recently with Dr. Dre for Dre’s much-anticipated “Detox” album.
But what would be his biggest get?
“B.B. King. … Oh, I will make a blues record. Maybe this will be it.”
And that sounds like a sincere promise. From a humble native son.
