Soulife
Encyclopedia
Soulife is the first compilation album
by American R&B
and soul
singer-songwriter Anthony Hamilton
, released June 28, 2005 on Rhino Records
in the United States. His third album overall, the album is a collection of previously unreleased songs recorded by Hamilton. The Macy Gray
-featured track "Love and War" appeared on the soundtrack to the 2001 film Baby Boy
.
After leaving MCA Records
, which released his debut album XTC
in 1996, Hamilton found a home at Soulife Records, a small Los Angeles
-based indie label
, where he recorded tracks between 1999 and 2001 for what was supposed to be his second studio album. Soulife went bankrupt before it could release the material, leaving the album unreleased.
Soulife earned Hamilton his highest-debuting and highest-peaking album to date. The album debuted and peaked at number 12 on the Billboard 200
and number 4 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
chart during the week of July 16, 2005, while selling 53,000 copies in its first week.
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
by American R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
singer-songwriter Anthony Hamilton
Anthony Hamilton (musician)
Anthony Hamilton is an American R&B, and soul singer-songwriter, and record producer who rose to fame with his platinum-selling second studio album Comin' from Where I'm From , which featured the singles "Comin' from Where I'm From" and "Charlene."-Life and career:Hamilton was born in Charlotte,...
, released June 28, 2005 on Rhino Records
Rhino Entertainment
Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company. It is owned by Warner Music Group.-History:Rhino was originally a novelty song and reissue company during the 1970s and 1980s, releasing compilation albums of pop, rock & roll, and rhythm & blues successes...
in the United States. His third album overall, the album is a collection of previously unreleased songs recorded by Hamilton. The Macy Gray
Macy Gray
Macy Gray is a Grammy Award-winning American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress, famed for her distinctive raspy voice, and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday and Betty Davis.Gray has released five studio albums, with her fifth studio album, The Sellout,...
-featured track "Love and War" appeared on the soundtrack to the 2001 film Baby Boy
Baby Boy (film)
Baby Boy is a 2001 American urban drama film written, produced, and directed by John Singleton. It has been considered a sequel of sorts to Singleton's earlier, more famous work Boyz n the Hood released ten years earlier...
.
After leaving MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
, which released his debut album XTC
XTC (album)
XTC is the debut album of American R&B and soul singer-songwriter Anthony Hamilton, released October 29, 1996 on MCA Records in the United States. The album failed to chart on both the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, and subsequently went out of print...
in 1996, Hamilton found a home at Soulife Records, a small Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
-based indie label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
, where he recorded tracks between 1999 and 2001 for what was supposed to be his second studio album. Soulife went bankrupt before it could release the material, leaving the album unreleased.
Soulife earned Hamilton his highest-debuting and highest-peaking album to date. The album debuted and peaked at number 12 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and number 4 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
chart during the week of July 16, 2005, while selling 53,000 copies in its first week.
Track listing
- "I Used to Love Someone" (Anthony Hamilton, Doug Coleman) – 5:51
- "I Cry" (Hamilton, Mark Sparks, Chris Deberry) – 4:25
- "Clearly" (Hamilton, Sparks) – 4:05
- "Georgie Parker" (Hamilton, Sparks, Deberry, Ron Feemster) – 3:55
- "Day Dreamin'" (Hamilton, Sparks) – 4:21
- "Ball and Chain" (Hamilton) – 3:39
- "Ol' Keeper" (Hamilton, Sparks) – 4:40
- "Love and War" (featuring Macy GrayMacy GrayMacy Gray is a Grammy Award-winning American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress, famed for her distinctive raspy voice, and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday and Betty Davis.Gray has released five studio albums, with her fifth studio album, The Sellout,...
) (Hamilton, Sparks, Feemster, Erick T. Coomes, Erick Walls) – 5:22 - "Last Night" (featuring Sunshine AndersonSunshine AndersonSunshine Anderson is a female American R&B and soul singer and songwriter.-Beginnings:Anderson was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and later moved to Charlotte as a child and became friends with Narisha Foxx...
and Dolo Pichino) (Hamilton, Mike CityMike CityMike City is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. Flowers is also the founder and CEO of Unsung Entertainment, Inc. He's currently working on his personal album titledMike City a.k.a...
, Richard Elliot, Sunshine Anderson) – 4:11 - "Love Is So Complicated" (Hamilton, Coleman) – 5:03
- Contains a sample of Love Unlimited Orchestra's "Midnight Groove" (Barry WhiteBarry WhiteBarry White, born Barry Eugene Carter , was an American composer and singer-songwriter.A five-time Grammy Award-winner known for his distinctive bass voice and romantic image, White's greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo singer and with the Love Unlimited Orchestra, crafting many enduring...
, Willie Seastrunk).
- Contains a sample of Love Unlimited Orchestra's "Midnight Groove" (Barry White
- "Icing on the Cake" (Hamilton, Coleman, Derrick Kirkland) – 4:49
- "Exclusively" (Hamilton, Sparks, Feemster, Coomes, Jimane Nelson) – 6:39
Chart history
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
12 |
| U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
4 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Internet Albums | 12 |
| U.S. Billboard Billboard Comprehensive Albums Billboard Comprehensive Albums Billboard Comprehensive Albums was established in 2003 and was a weekly albums chart produced by Billboard magazine that ranked the biggest selling albums in the United States regardless of the product's age or method of sales.... |
12 |
Release history
| Country | Date | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
June 20, 2005 | Warner Warner Music Group Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies... |
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
June 27, 2005 | Rhino Rhino Entertainment Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company. It is owned by Warner Music Group.-History:Rhino was originally a novelty song and reissue company during the 1970s and 1980s, releasing compilation albums of pop, rock & roll, and rhythm & blues successes... |
| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
June 28, 2005 | Atlantic Atlantic Records Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz... /Rhino |
| Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
||
| Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
July 26, 2005 | Warner |
| Netherlands Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... |
August 12, 2005 |
External links
- Soulife at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- R&B Crooner Is a 'Soul' Survivor — By Jim Farber