Georgia native Anthony David has spent his whole life writing songs. Now his riveting story telling, passionate guitar playing and stirring voice will be featured on his major label debut Acey Deucy and introduce the world to Soulbird Music, a new venture between Universal Republic Records and the multi-Grammy winning artist India.Arie. Anthony David was born in Savannah, Georgia but discovered the spark to ignite his artistic passions in Atlanta. “I had been looking all over the world for the right vibe to cultivate my song writing, explains David, “I found it here in Atlanta’s music and spoken word scene. Atlanta is where my talent and passion grew together. I was able to find artists who connected with me. That had that same passion to create.” David said he did not have to look far or long for an inspiring friendship. “India (.Arie) was the first person I saw when I got out of the car from Savannah,” says David ,“I thought she was cool and we were both doing our music and enjoying the scene that Atlanta gives an artist. There was never a time that we didn’t hang out.” David wrote the song “A Part Of My Life” for Arie’s 7x Grammy nominated album Acoustic Soul and then toured with her in support of that record.
Shortly thereafter he released two independent albums, Three Chords & The Truth and Red Clay Chronicles. Both albums received high critical acclaim, including Atlanta Journal & Constitution’s rave “The best record to come of this city since Usher’s,” and earned David thousands of fans nationwide. It is a combination of songs from those two albums that make up Acey Deucy. David toured relentlessly in support of his independent releases, opening for acts such as Arie and Kem before headlining tours of his own throughout Europe and Japan. “While traveling around the country and Europe playing, I was able to soak up sounds from everywhere I went. I’ve just been able to grow and expand my sound.” David explained. That sound, David refers to as “Millennium Blues” because it “all goes back to the blues. The lyrics, the music, my using everything from acoustic to hip-hop, the story telling…all of it connects through the blues like a bridge.” David feels that his song writing brings a much-needed honesty to today’s music, he explains, “Honesty in music shouldn’t be very rare but it is. Like an MC saying ‘I live the gangster life for real?’ I live the regular life for real, I just make it look and sound good.”
After time on the road, David teamed up with India.Arie once again to co-write and produce “There’s Hope” for Arie’s third Grammy nominated album before heading back out on his own again. And now the circle involving Anthony David and India.Arie begins anew with the first single from Acey Deucy entitled “Words.” The song reveals a musical relationship between Arie and David reminiscent of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, Roberta Flack and Donnie Hathaway, a super natural chemistry that reminds you of music you’ve never heard before and can’t wait to hear again. “It’s great that ‘Words’ is being compared to music by Roberta Flack and Donnie Hathaway,” says David, “because they are both major influences on both our careers. That says a lot about the nature of our relationship and how well we work together. She heard the short version I wrote and said she had a verse for that song. The verse India wrote and her voice fit perfectly in every way.” “I love Tony’s music for how he speaks from a man’s emotional perspective in relationships and his views on learning about life as a young man of the hip hop generation,” says India.Arie. “He’s a great talent and one of my oldest friends. I have so many memories with him. Not only did he encourage me to start performing professionally, but it was Tony who suggested I use my first and middle name as an artist. There was even a time when he spent his rent money for me to experiment in the studio.” Anthony David explains that the lyrics and music are all from personal experience. “I don’t really know any other way to write. From the general to the specific, my music comes from a very personal place. That place is real life, the good and the bad. You won’t hear a lot of stuff about chilling in VIP. I don’t think a lot of people really relate to that. I don’t know where that (VIP and drinking in the club,) ranks in the importance of everyday people’s lives.” What Anthony David gives music and listeners are songs about love and life told in real voices. On Cheatin Man, David expresses a lot of inward pain and battles with self. “Cheatin Man is about a brother doing self-examination,” he explains, “It’s also about the half hearted excuses people make for what they do. The heart of the song is about judgment and falling short. The man (in the song) hates his father for what he did to his mother, but then he ends up doing the same things.” With the song Red Clay Chronicles, Anthony David turns that spotlight of truth outward, and looks at the state of everyone’s problems today. Red Clay Chronicles paints a musical mural of the “haves” and “have-nots” in a way that lets you know David has experienced life as a “have-not” and doesn’t glorify it. Red Clay Chronicles delivers both the musical goods and a fair share of responsibility for those who are able to help improve “city life.” Besides Arie, David calls on other musicians and singers he’s worked with in Atlanta to help complete the journey. On Lady, Keisha Jackson adds her sultry sound to join David’s blues-enriched voice. The track sounds like a lost recording of a song written for Bobby Womack and Gladys Knight. David discusses his partner for the duet “Keisha is Millie Jackson’s daughter. I knew this record would showcase her talent and show the world what I always heard in her voice. That’s one of the many reasons I am so excited about Acey Deucy. I get to show off all the talent here in Atlanta.” Anthony David’s Acey Deucy is a project focused on real life experience but original and passionate in presentation.
Acey Deucy is a blueprint for how to create great music in different styles, while not being diverse just for the sake of being different. Acey Deucy talks about family and friends on tracks like Kin Folk, relaxing on Smoke One and still drives home the joys and pain that we love to get from our music on tracks like Stop Playing. Acey Deucy gives listeners a little bit of what we’ve been waiting for from modern soul music and surprises us with a quality of original story telling we didn’t know was possible. |
