Allow me to re-introduce myself

Anthony David shows another side on The Red Clay Chronicles

Folks who discovered Anthony David via his 2003 full-length debut album, 3 Chords & the Truth, may be under the impression that he’s one of those sensitive “neo-soul” singers. And it’s no wonder: The CD features a collection of tender tunes about love, lust and pain — fueled almost exclusively by the sparse sound of an acoustic guitar.

But fans looking for the “sweet” Anthony David will be in for a rude awakening when his newest project, The Red Clay Chronicles, drops Tues., Sept. 26.

On RCC, he’s replaced his almost-trademarked bare sound and warm lyrics with tales of drinking and smoking set to the thump of a drum machine. But, David has a message for listeners who think his newest album contradicts the kinder, gentler melodies found on 3 Chords.

“Fuck ‘em!” he laughs. “No, seriously, this album isn’t a contradiction. It’s like going on a second date with someone and then they suddenly pull out a blunt. Some chicks will be like, ‘Damn, can I get a hit of that!’

“[Lyrically] It’s kind of a Southern point of view; day-to-day stuff,” he continues. “Musically, it’s a little more beat-driven, a little more ‘produced’ and features more sounds. The other one was purposefully written with a guitar. If you got the other one, get this one, too.”

Now, the sonic changes found on RCC weren’t a result of some drastic mental transformation on David’s part. More realistically, he’s just a multifaceted artist — not some cookie-cutter cliché of a contemporary soul crooner. And he doesn’t seem to be interested in upholding any sort of fraudulent “image.”

Case in point: At last month’s Soul Summit music conference held in Atlanta, he performed an acoustic set alongside underground superstar Eric Roberson. After Roberson belted out a minimalist version of his mellow love song “Couldn’t Hear Her Over the Music,” David proceeded to bust a freestyle rap about ripping off condoms and getting his freak on raw-dog style. Not surprisingly, his lyrics shocked a good chunk of the “enlightened,” locked-hair/incense-burning crowd in attendance. Not exactly what you’d expect from a guy who writes songs for India.Arie.

“There’s a lot of people who don’t really know me,” David says.

Of course, it wouldn’t be inaccurate to say that most music consumers don’t know him — many have never heard of Anthony David. (And in case you, dear reader, are clueless about him, here’s some background info ripped straight from his official bio: “Savannah, Georgia, was David’s home before migrating to Atlanta to jump-start his music career. Shortly after arriving, he befriended another young, aspiring and multi-gifted artist — her name was India.Arie. ‘India was about the first person I met when I got to Atlanta. I saw her at the Underground and she looked cool, so we started talking, and I learned that we both liked the same artists, and we began sharing music. We were friends for three years before I even knew she could sing.’ Through his friendship with India, he found an outlet to express his thoughts and emotions in songwriting. David went on to write the song ‘Part of My Life’ for India’s critically acclaimed and multi-Grammy-nominated album, Acoustic Soul. ‘It wasn’t until I heard some Bill Withers songs that I got the inspiration to really try singing and then I sort of found my vocal stride.’” Got it? Good.)

So, RCC could be the first time that most people who listen to and regularly purchase urban music get to experience David’s music. Generally, soul doesn’t get a lot of play on commercial urban radio — which is largely dominated by hip-hop. 3 Chords was heard on a few non-commercial (college, community-owned, etc.) stations. “We got play from [stations] we don’t have to pay,” David says.

But with hip-hop flavored songs like “Kin Folk” (an ode to family reunions), “ATL Sunshine” (an homage to the “A”) and “Smoke One” (a tribute to love and sticky icky), RCC has a good chance of landing more airtime and some new fans.

“With this record, there’s gonna be more people to hear me,” he says. “I’ve sold 15,000 records and I’ve pretty much met all those people.”

And although the album is laced with hip-hop beats, soul purists shouldn’t fret; RCC is packed with an assload of soulful tunes like “Stop Playin’,” and “Smoke One with Earl” (featuring jazz guitarist Earl Klugh) and “Words,” a duet with his old friend India. In addition, David made sure to recruit some of the city’s best and brightest — and perhaps lesser-known — soul musicians and singers to round out the project.

“I enlisted the help of every Atlanta musician I could get a hold of, from keys to horns and everything in between. The vocalists are some of the real-deal folks from around this way, like PJ Morton, Tori Alamaze, Laurnea and Keisha Jackson,” he says.

“I wanted it to represent my scene — or at least my perspective of the scene — and let everybody else hear what kind of flavor and diversity we have here in the South.”