This Weekend's Top Stop: Anthony Hamilton

ANTHONY HAMILTON is proof that you don't have to be grown to have soul. His textured voice and "please come back, baby" lyrics capitalize on the kind of grittiness that clean-cut R&B notably lacks. But don't get it twisted -- Hamilton is definitely a professional musician. He got his start in -- surprise -- church. But he paid his dues in the '90s as a backup singer for artists such as D'Angelo, 2Pac and Eve. Singing on Nappy Roots' Grammy-nominated "Po' Folks" won him the chance to finally release an album, 2003's acclaimed "Comin' From Where I'm From." 2005's "Ain't Nobody Worryin'" followed.

Hamilton stands out from the neo-soul artists who make us swoon, but don't sound like Bill Withers reincarnated. If you didn't see him singing in videos, wearing fashionable trucker hats and blazers, you'd think he belonged to the grown folks' generation. Rather than trying to transform soul, Hamilton merely updates it. He cuts out ad-libbing, uses R&B and hip-hop beats and makes the genre more accessible to those in his audience who only know soul through their parents' record collection. And Hamilton accomplishes the feat without compromising what makes soul so appealing: unfiltered emotion. Catch Hamilton, alongside R&B singer Heather Headley, at Constitution Hall on Friday and Saturday night. You're sure to get chills.
Constitution Hall, 1776 D St. NW; Fri-Sat, 8 p.m.; $65 (Farragut West)

This post was written by Express contributor Elahe Izadi.

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