Atlanta artist Anthony David is set to release his second record Red Clay Chronicles on Brash Music on September 26th. Red Clay Chronicles continues David’s journey to recapture the sound of Soul music that harkens back to the genre’s banner era of the 60s and into the dawn of the 70s. Savannah, Georgia, was David’s home before migrating to Atlanta to jumpstart his music career. Shortly after arriving, he befriended another young, aspiring, and multi-gifted artis–her name was India.Arie. “India was about the first person I met when I got to Atlanta. I saw her at The Underground and she looked cool, so we started talking, and I learned that we both liked the same artists, and we began sharing music. We were friends for 3 years before I even knew she could sing.” Through his friendship with India, he found an outlet to express his thoughts and emotions in songwriting. “India had been playing the guitar, so I bought one and started messing around with it.” David went on to write the song “Part of my Life” for India’s critically acclaimed and multi-Grammy nominated album Acoustic Soul. “It wasn’t until I heard some Bill Withers songs that I got the inspiration to really try singing and then I sort of found my vocal stride.” “I’ve written stories all my life, so this is a continuation of that; I am a singer/songwriter first, I pick up instruments, learn ‘em and make songs with ‘em. While traveling around the country and Europe playing the last two years, I was able to soak up sounds from everywhere I went, which has had a big influence on this record. I’ve also learned so much about working in a studio the last few years that I was able to take a strong hold on the production of this record. I haven’t changed direction musically, I’ve just been able to grow and expand my sound.” David’s music is still an R&B and Soul melting pot, and this time he called on his many friends in the Atlanta music community to lend a hand to his songs. Comparing RCC to 3 Chords, he explains “It’s another ride through the rhythms that I like, but this time with a lot more emphasis on beats. I enlisted the help of every Atlanta musician I could get a hold of, from keys to horns and everything in between. I wanted it to represent my scene or at least my perspective of the scene and let everybody else hear what kind of flavor and diversity we have here in the South. Everyone who plays on this record has been a part of something big before, so they lent me that energy to try and help me get big. The vocalists are some of the real deal folks from around this way, like PJ Morton, Tori Alamaze, Laurnea, Kiesha Jackson and of course India. There’s more of an R&B flavor to this record, as opposed to the soul leanings of 3 Chords, but I think that drawing too fine a line of distinction between R&B and Soul is kind of dumb anyway.” The title track “Red Clay Chronicles” is about gentrification and the pros and cons of rebuilding the inner city, oftentimes at the expense of pushing out the long-time residents. “Kin Folk” is an up-tempo ode to the South’s time-honored tradition of big annual family reunions. “ATL Sunshine” is David’s homage to his new hometown, and he soars on the distinctly romantic tracks, “Words” (featuring vocals from India. Arie), “On and On” and “Lady”. RCC gets a jazz infusion with the song “Smoke One with Earl” featuring guitarist, jazz master Earl Klugh. And there are still plenty of introspective songs like “Stop Playin”, “Smoke One”, and “You Can Do Better” that point out the foibles of humanity but with a more melodic vibe. David’s musical growth is evident on Red Clay Chronicles, and it is obvious that he is ready to step up to the top echelon of R&B and Soul artists.
