Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
It's pretty rare for a pop/AC singer to make music on his own steam. The hyper-mainstream nature of the genre is such that it's difficult for it to prosper without the muscle and sheen of major-label support. Try to imagine Celine Dion as a grass-roots artist, for example. It just doesn't work. That's what makes JOHN ANTHONY all the more intriguing.
With the self-made What A Man Can Do, the New York-based artist delivers an album that is so glossy that you wonder if he robbed a bank in order to fund such an elaborate affair. There's nothing missing from this recording. It's bathed in lush, elaborate arrangements of strings and horns that make each song sound like a million bucks. Even the packaging is deliciously detailed, with beautiful shots that make the highly photogenic Anthony look like the superstar that he's clearly gunning to be.
But does the actual music make good on the shiny wrapping in which it's encased? Quite. Largely written by the artist, who shares production credit with Frank Verderosa, What A Man Can Do is packed with the theatrical power-ballads and warmly percussive mid-tempo pop jams that carry the unabashed influence of George Michael and Michael Bolton among others.
"With such diversified styles, the challenge of recording this album was to smoothly thread the production," Anthony says, noting the strong studio influence of Verderosa. "Frank was able to design the magical thread that wove the album together and added dimension to the songs."
The element that ultimately sets Anthony apart is a staggeringly high and powerful tenor range that dwarfs the vocal potency of his stylistic mentors. He's particularly memorable on the sweet, single-ready title track, as well as on the saucy, blues-kissed "Lost & Found."
The only minor misstep is a cover of Barbra Streisand's "Prisoner." While he gets points for actually hitting the same big notes as the diva, the whole track is just a tad too over the top for its own good--and it distracts the listener from Anthony's own solid compositions.
Still, that's a small quibble in relation to a project that introduces an artist with the potential to seriously connect with the masses.
- Billboard
John Anthony is a kid with a voice. On his solo debut he displays a wide range of styles - and he has command of them all - but the result lacks focus. He's best on power ballads like "Prisoner" where his bombast is over the top just far enough to make you feel the passion.
He's also good at the blues. In "Who Do You Think You're Foolin'," he whispers the lyrics to a double bass and brushed drums - a sexy treatment that works well.
Anthony seems to be searching for a style he can call his own. This disc says he has the potential to crack the big time given the right material.
- New York Post
Discography
WHAT A MAN CAN DO (Album)
- indy release 2002
TAKE ME ON (single)
- released 1997, Grand Slam Records
- included on Dance Mix USA's Volume 6
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
With commanding vocals and melodic hooks, singer/songwriter John Anthony's debut CD - What A Man Can Do - has critics reaching for such adjectives as "lush," "powerful" and "diverse."
The influences that shaped Anthony's musical tastes are as wide as the artist's vocal range - from Styx to Streisand, Mercury to Michael and Joel to McCartney, Anthony pays homage to some of music's most important artists. Says Anthony, "If I had to choose one influence in particular, it would have to be Freddie Mercury, who could sell any song from hard rock bravado to the sweetest sentiment. That is what I aspire to." The New York Post's DAN AQUILANTE raves over his across-the-board skill, "[Anthony] displays a wide range of styles - and has command of them all."
Industry mainstay BILLBOARD magazine agrees: "There is nothing missing from this recording. It's bathed in lush, elaborate arrangements of strings and horns that make each song sound like a million bucks" [but] "the element that ultimately sets Anthony apart is a staggeringly high and powerful tenor range that dwarfs the vocal potency of his stylistic mentors."
But even with his own remarkable talent, Anthony acknowledges his creative partner Frank Verderosa as a driving force that made the CD a reality. Says Anthony, "Frank added incredible dimension to these songs. It was a pleasure working with him." Anthony also credits his musicians which read like a Who's Who of NYC's session musicians including David Mann, Zach Danziger, Henry Hey, Tim Lefebvre and Marcus Wolf.
Born and raised in upstate New York, John's musical journey started while he was still in college. Encouraged by his friends, Anthony ventured to NYC to front Rock bands that were featured at such insider-haunts as the China Club and the Cat Club as well as receiving local airplay.
In 1997 he established himself as a vocalist with the Pop/Dance single "Take Me On." The tune was included in Dance Mix USA's Volume 6 and on Entertainment Weekly's dance compilation. John also received top reviews in Dance Music Authority who proclaimed "...newcomer John Anthony bursts onto the club scene with a raw talent and vocal power that can't be ignored."
Over the next few years, John continued to write his own songs, which eventually became
What A Man Can Do.
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