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The Point of It All is the fourth studio album by American singer Anthony Hamilton. It was released on December 16, 2008, by Mister's Music, So So Def Recordings, and Zomba. The album's production was handled by Hamilton himself along with Mark Batson, Kevin Wooten, Dre & Vidal, James "Big Jim" Wright and Salaam Remi, among others.

The Point of It All
Studio album by Anthony Hamilton
Released	December 16, 2008 (2008-12-16)
Recorded	2007–2008
Studio	Chalice, Los Angeles[lower-alpha 1] Charles Holloman, Charlotte, North Carolina[lower-alpha 2] Studio 609, Philadelphia[lower-alpha 3] Instrument Zoo, Miami[lower-alpha 4] Henson, Hollywood[lower-alpha 5] Circle House, Miami[lower-alpha 6] Flyte Tyme, Santa Monica, California[lower-alpha 7] CHP Audio, Charlotte, North Carolina[lower-alpha 8]
Genre	R&B soul neo soul
Length	59:20
Label	Mister's Music So So Def Zomba
Producer	The Avila Brothers Mark Batson Vidal Davis Anthony Hamilton Andre Harris Heavy D SalaamRemi.com Jack Splash Kelvin Wooten James "Big Jim" Wright
Anthony Hamilton chronology
Southern Comfort (2007) The Point of It All (2008) Back to Love (2011)
Singles from The Point of It All
"Cool" Released: 2008 "The Point of It All"

The album debuted at number 12 on the US Billboard 200 and at number three on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, selling 133,000 copies in its first week of release, the highest sales week of his career. Upon its release, The Point of It All received generally positive reviews from most music critics. As of May 2010, the album had sold over 519,000 copies in the United States and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[1]

Singles

The album's lead single "Cool" featuring David Banner, and it peaked at number 74 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and at number 19 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	72/100[2]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Entertainment Weekly	B[4]
New York Times	Favorable[5]
The New Yorker	Favorable[6]
PopMatters	8/10[7]
Rolling Stone	[8]
Spin	[9]
USA Today	[10]
Vibe	Favorable[11]
The Washington Post	Favorable[12]

The Point of It All received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 72, based on nine reviews.[2] Mike Joseph of PopMatters viewed Hamilton as "an artist capable of filling the void created when Gerald LeVert and Luther Vandross passed away.[7] The album's opening track, "The News", drew comparisons to past artists tackle on social issues. Andy Kellman of AllMusic stated the song is "as poignant as Curtis Mayfield's 'Pusherman' and Willie Hutch's 'Brothers Gonna Work It Out'".[3] Edward Bowser of Soul in Stereo described it as "[s]ort of like a more hip 'What's Going On,' about constant drama on the news and the need for a savior."[13]

Distinct praise was given to Hamilton's voice. Mike Joseph of PopMatters wrote, "His raspy tone has drawn comparisons to everyone from Bill Withers to Bobby Womack, ... he's proven himself to be one of the few current artists capable of sounding like an authentic throwback (as opposed to a pale facsimile) and completely contemporary at the same time."[7] Andy Kellman of AllMusic wrote, "Vocally, Hamilton has never been as dynamic as he is on this song, switching between his grittily textured baritone and surprisingly effective upper register."[3]

Track listing

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies a co-producer

Charts

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[1]	Gold	500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes

References

External links

• Album review at The Dallas Morning News

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