Anthony Hamilton Sings The Kind Of Soul Music That Makes You Say “AMEN” (Video)

Over the last few years, NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series has become one of the richest platforms for showcasing great music, in its purest form. The franchise allowed artists like Oddisee and Rapsody to demo the richness and depth in their song-making, and completely re-introduced T-Pain to the world as a singer who was capable of captivating hearts and minds without autotune. In their latest installment, NPR invited Anthony Hamilton to share his one of a kind voice with their staff, and he turned in a mesmerizing performance.

Hamilton opens with a performance of “Amen,” his new single that was produced by Salaam Remi (The Fugees, Nas, Amy Winehouse) and James Poyser (Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, The Roots). The song, from his forthcoming album titled What I’m Feeling, is a celebration of love and the joy that comes from finding that special one. Joined by a bass, guitar, keys and drums, Hamilton’s voice is the focus and rightful star. He says of the new single, “I was thinking ‘let me write a song kinda like R. Kelly.’ You know, kinda sing-songy, kinda choppy. It’s a little different, but I felt like it would be interesting to bring out something slightly different that you guys are not really expecting.” For his next selection, Hamilton goes back to “Best Of Me,” from is 2011 Back To Love album. After a quick reference to Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Brazilian Rhyme,” he and the band slip into the soulful ballad.

Hamilton digs deeper into his catalog for his final two songs. Of “Cool,” from his 2008 album The Point Of It All, Hamilton says “I wrote this when the economy was crashing and people were losing jobs. But, I still felt like like there was still hope and it was necessary for people to keep their spirits up. And, sometimes it don’t take a lot of money to have a good time. Sometimes it don’t take a big meal to get full.” After, he closes with his timeless heartbreak song, “Charlene.”

Related: Anthony Hamilton Puts The Gospel In Hotline Bling And Gives It New Meaning (Video)