Anthony Hamilton, Love is The New Black

Reading Time: 2 min read

Anthony Hamilton continues to a career-long flex on “Love is the New Black,” the soulful title track from his first album in five years.

fter a five-year hiatus,

Grammy-winning R&B singer/songwriter Anthony Hamilton is finally back! On September 24, the neo-soul star drops

Love is the New Black. Leading up to the announcement of the album and an official release date, Hamilton has been slaughtering (in a positive way) with the promo singles. “Mercy” and “You Made a Fool of Me” both found Hamilton on his ‘A game.’ Similarly, the third single from Love is the New Black, “Love is the New Black”, continues Anthony’s utmost consistency and his relentless soulfulness.

“Love is the New Black” serves as the opening track from the album, setting the tone for what’s to come. Being true to Hamilton artistically, the record features old-school production, in a retro-/neo-soul style ( Cardiak and WU10). As far as the sounds, I love the keys, dramatic, lush strings, and the percussion-fueled groove – decadent, decadent, DECADENT! Furthermore, I love the fact that the instrumental intro percolates for a good 30+ seconds. Of course, Anthony does his thing as always, delivering expressive, soulful vocals and romance-driven songwriting/theme. Furthermore, he delivers utterly sublime ad-libs. While the aesthetic is familiar, with Hamilton in his niche, there’s contrast too. Worth noting, “Love is the New Black” features only one section, best characterized as the chorus.

“I know where I'm goin’
You know where it’s at
One thing that's for sure
Love is the new Black.”

Final Thoughts

Once again, Anthony Hamilton comes through. “Love is the New Black” isn’t quite as ‘accomplished’ as the socially conscious “Mercy” or the brokenhearted “You Made a Fool of Me”, but it’s another fine addition to the contemporary soul singer’s catalog. To reiterate, as the title track and album opener, “Love is the New Black” does a fine job of setting the tone.