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Antonio Neal sings real music about real life. The world he portrays on his new, debut release, Days of My Life, is not always a perfect place. And the people who populate it suffer life’s trials just as readily as they celebrate its triumphs. But pervading the album’s eleven songs are consistent themes of hope, encouragement, and reasons to believe that it’s all worth the challenge.
Musically, Antonio paints on a canvass that can truly be called his own, from a palette of musical colors as vast and arresting as his own seemingly boundless imagination. Understanding that this is an artist whose singularly unique vision is as influenced by the sweet sounds of legendary ‘70s soul crooner, Al Green, as it is modern, cutting-edge hip-hop, one gets at least an inkling that this is something altogether new, created by an artist clearly guided by nothing but his own inner visions.
Pop it into the player and you’ll know you’re on terrain that is as new and daring as it is somehow familiar and accessible. Co-writing all the album’s eleven songs, and co-producing with studio visionary Tedd T, Antonio is clearly drawn to smooth, quiet-fire grooves, under girded with some serious hip-hop muscle. Sparse instrumentations, of the decidedly less-is-more school, feature a big bass end and rhythm, often colored with a solitary additional instrument, from slinky electric guitar, or perhaps a crystalline acoustic, to a grand piano or surges of strings.
Possessing a compelling, multi-octave voice—often buttressed by a rich, jaw-dropping background ensemble (99% Antonio, as well)—Antonio and Tedd T are not shy about putting their vocal mixes squarely in your face. Which is right where they belong.
Crossing this remarkable bridge between classic R&B and on-the-edge hip-hop, comparisons and descriptions race to mind, all accurate enough, but none entirely adequate. “Luther Vandross meets Prince, meet the Almighty” is not bad in the snappy analogy department. And even though words like “bold and innovative” seem to contradict “commercial, accessible, and hooky,” in the world of Antonio Neal they all make perfect sense, and co-exist quite comfortably.
The title song of Days of My Life boasts meaty bass and drums on the bottom, and a wistful grand piano, anchoring an irresistible Motown-flavored groove, with Antonio turning in a stratospheric vocal that soars into and out of his shimmering falsetto range with complete ease and grace, as he gives thanks for all the good things that fill his life.
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