Vibe.com, February 6th, 2006
"Make sure you take care of yourself; have a glass of wine with your fried chicken," the compact soul man added before sliding into his achingly poignant single "Can't Let Go." Arms raised, heads bowed and emotions swelled amongst the revelers packed tight into Manhattan's Canal Room.
Halfway into his hour-long set, Hamilton had palpably broken through the hard shell of world weary Gothamites and industry types who waited an hour and a half for the singer to finally take the stage. BET's "106 & Park" co-host, Tigga, so enamored by Hamilton's country boy soul, temporarily abandoned the cognac and models of the VIP and approached the stage to dap up the gritty crooner.
Introduced by decade long friend and Power 105.1 radio personality Ed Lover as "one of the most prolific voices of our time", the sprite singer tore through new album tracks, "Where Did It Go Wrong," "Southern Stuff," "The Truth," "Change Your World" and "Preacher's Daughter," on which he dueted with wife and back-up singer Tarsha McMillian, heaping healthy helpings of original backwater witticisms to the sold out crowd along the way.
But the evening culminated with inspired performances from his 2003 platinum selling debut Comin' From Where I'm From’s career-making ballad "Charlene," and the concert closing title track. Eyes gleaming greater than his diamond studded earlobes, Hamilton belted his signature song to the crowd’s delight. His steps pepped by a holy ghost Harlem shuffle accentuated with a pop here and a lock there, Hamilton transformed the hard times anthem into a sanctified hymn. Eyes rolling into the back of his head, Hamilton descended into the crowd and orchestrated the chanting of "Jesus we thank you and we love you" in place of the chorus eventually returning to the stage to conclude the show on bended knees with “The Lord's Prayer”.
His first performance in support of Ain't Nobody Worryin', Hamilton proved himself a man of the people and a consummate entertainer, charming the New York City audience with his sanctified soul despite nagging sound problems. "Mistakes and all I love them," explained Hamilton after some particularly disruptive feedback, "it reminds me that we all just everyday people."
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