Highly talented yet seriously underappreciated R&B/Soul artist Anthony David already released an album earlier this year, the very solid As Above, So Below, which came out in March 2011. So it's a little surprising that he'd return so soon with another release, Location, Location, Location, which dropped Dec. 6. But it makes sense once you learn that of the 10 tracks included, three are previously unreleased studio tunes, three are remixes and the other four are live versions of some of his better songs. And as a whole, the package has it's ups and downs, but is still a quality release worth hearing.
Emotion, Honesty, Intelligence
Anthony David's Location, Location, Location kicks off with three previously unreleased tracks: the title song plus "Rolling Mojo" and "The Further We Go," with Dutch singer Giovanca. Of the three, the title track is arguably the best. It's a mellow ode to planet Earth: "It's not too cold, it's not to hot/We're Goldilocks and it's just right," he sings. "We get to witness every season/stars and moons are out ever night." In today's R&B market, it's rare to hear a singer tackle any topic other than love and relationships, so the song is a definite breath of fresh air from the usual tried and true formula. But that's not to say that Anthony's gone hippie and started singing only about peace and love and saving the environment. In fact, the other two new studio songs both delve into the issue of romance. "Rolling Mojo" is a melancholy tale of a man who can't find the right woman, and "The Further We Go" is a smooth bossa nova-style duet about falling deeper and deeper in love.
"Rolling Mojo" in particular, is a poignant story about a working man who's despondent because every woman he dates costs too much to keep up with: "I'm always fallin' for that fair weather woman, that's why I'm alone," he sings. "She lives lavish and I can't afford it, she needs to be with someone who can handle her needs." It's packed with plenty of what's been missing in mainstream R&B for years: emotion, honesty and intelligence.
"Rolling Mojo" in particular, is a poignant story about a working man who's despondent because every woman he dates costs too much to keep up with: "I'm always fallin' for that fair weather woman, that's why I'm alone," he sings. "She lives lavish and I can't afford it, she needs to be with someone who can handle her needs." It's packed with plenty of what's been missing in mainstream R&B for years: emotion, honesty and intelligence.
Strength & Personality
The four live tracks here are also pretty sweet, and among them is a mild surprise: Anthony's cover of rapper Drake's song "Find Your Love." And although he more than does the tune justice, the showstopper is actually the album's closing number, an extended acoustic version of Anthony's "Cold Turkey," one of the best booty-call jams in R&B history.
Of the three remixes, props go to the Wangout version of the sexually-charged "Body Language," which manages to differentiate itself from the original, but still maintain it's essence and spirit. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the other remixes, particularly the one of "4Evermore," which takes a sweet, romantic loves song and basically ruins it by turning it into a fast-paced House music track.
Although Location, Location, Location is made up of three distinctly different sections -- studio songs, remixes and live songs -- the product as a whole doesn't suffer much because of it, mainly due to Anthony's strength and personality. This isn't quite as great as a full album of new music probably would have been, but it should be enough to tide loyal fans of his music over for awhile.
Of the three remixes, props go to the Wangout version of the sexually-charged "Body Language," which manages to differentiate itself from the original, but still maintain it's essence and spirit. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the other remixes, particularly the one of "4Evermore," which takes a sweet, romantic loves song and basically ruins it by turning it into a fast-paced House music track.
Although Location, Location, Location is made up of three distinctly different sections -- studio songs, remixes and live songs -- the product as a whole doesn't suffer much because of it, mainly due to Anthony's strength and personality. This isn't quite as great as a full album of new music probably would have been, but it should be enough to tide loyal fans of his music over for awhile.