Anthony Hamilton Plots A More ‘Alternative, Rock' Album

Anthony Hamilton spent the better part of 2009 touring in support of his critically acclaimed 2008 album, The Point of It All. Now the soulful countryman--who earned a Grammy award for his Al Green collaboration, “You've Got The Love I Need"--is set to hit the studio to start work on his seventh album.

“I’m going to start recording in March,” the North Carolina native tells VIBE, adding that he doesn't yet have a concept in mind. “I just write and it will start shaping itself. I don’t go in and say, ‘Hey, let’s try to do this type of album.’ It’s too controlled like that. It takes away from me being creative.”

What he does know is that his fans will be in for a surprise. “I’m going to branch out a little bit and make it more alternative, as opposed to being totally R&B and soul," he says. "More of a rock feel, something outside of the box. I’ve experienced a lot of things and have a large fan base. They’ve grown with me. I want to show them that.”

While The Point of It All only featured one guest, Hamilton is hoping several premium acts will join him this go round. “John Mayer. [Battle Studies] is a great body of work. I definitely want to work with him," says Hamilton. "And B.B. King. I love his raw, unapologetic granddaddy delivery. When he says something, he means it. You can feel it. That’s what I like about him: that bluesy, soul, church, ‘I’m two sermons away from being a real pastor’ sound.”

Hamilton also added Mary J. Blige and the Rolling Stones and says the as-yet-titled album will drop before summer. –Brad Wete