Anthony’s upcoming single, produced by Kemar “Flava” McGregor, already has achieved significant radio airplay, resulting from the tracks inclusion on McGregor’s recently viral “Cool and Deadly Riddim” album, which was released November 1, 2011.
The track “Settle Down” represents the first of several lovers rock singles that Anthony is scheduled to record with McGregor, which plays to Anthony’s greatest creative advantage – his smooth yet convincing vocal timbre.
“Lovers rock is a comfort zone for me, because I grew up listening to soul music and R&B songs,” said Anthony. “With my love songs, you can pick out some soul and R&B flavor that my audience can relate to.
People like it because it’s relatable. Everyone can identify with love songs. Even a person who listens to dancehall can relate to lovers rock, because everybody deals with love.”
And Anthony knows the power of lover’s rock all too well. His 2010 lover’s rock hit, “Torn” accumulated a veritable worldwide fan base in less than 12 months of radio airplay.
The song spent two weeks in the number-one spot on Richie B’s Top 25 Reggae Singles Chart in Jamaica; it maintained a top-ten position for more than four months on the Foundation Radio Network’s Reggae Singles Charts, both in New York and South Florida; and it also garnered lengthy radio-chart positions in England, The Netherlands, Canada, Italy, Virgin Islands and Kenya.
Two of Anthony’s previous singles, “Mark and the Beast (2006)” and “Yuh Nuh Simple” (2007),” were awarded Reggae Song of the Year at the Canadian Reggae Awards in 2007 and 2008 respectively, and the track “Yuh Nuh Simple,” a song encouraging children to stay in school, was featured for two years on UNICEF Canada’s charitable website, beginning in late 2007.
McGregor first heard Anthony’s music during mid-2010, on Richie B’s “Hot Mix” program on the HOT 102 radio station in Kingston, Jamaica. Upon his first listen, McGregor immediately became interested in recording the unique, emotional potency of Anthony’s vocal concept.
“I was digging his sound,” said McGregor. “I saw him as the next Maxi Priest, or the next Beres Hammond of lovers rock. When I first heard him, I was like, Wow, he has a good vocal, he has a strong singing voice, and it sounds appealing.
It all comes down to his sound. When you hear his voice, you want to listen to him. He’s just like Gyptian or I-Wayne or Mavado – he has that kind of unique sound that makes you want to listen. No one else sounds like Tony Anthony, and Tony Anthony doesn’t sound like anyone else.”
