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.
The eagerly awaited release of David's new album - As Above So Below - scheduled for release in the US in late March, has caught the imagination of many Neo-Soul fans. His silky voice, coupled with strong lyrics in his songs, have ensured a potentially Grammy award winning conjuction. Standout tracks include the religion/politics challenging "What God Said", a fantastic cover of Tears For Fears' "Rule The World" featuring Boyz II Men's Shawn Stockman, and also "Backstreet" - a song based on what David witnessed in his younger years.
The album, already released in Europe, represents the Neo-Soul genre perfectly. Lyrics with meaning, no studio edits served with a side of incredible vocals, make for an unmissable album.
Smoke One
Anthony David Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Smoke one with your folk
Drink one with ya boy
I know it's been a little while
Since we had a little fun
Smoke one with your folk
Drink one with ya boy
I know it's been a little while
Fancy running into you again
At this place, at this time
All the memories are rushing back again
My old friend, how you been doing, yeah?
Somebody told me that you lived down here
Somebody told me you bought a crib down here
Maybe I could check it out, I could swing by the house
Maybe I could talk you into doing something bad
[Chorus]
Hey, we can do some of the things we used to do
Or we can put our heads together
And come up with something new, yeah
All I want to do tonight is get next to you
We can make up for lost time
Share what's happening in our lives
I know some things change
But some things stay the same
Like the magic that occurs whenever we meet
The way you move, the way you dance
The way you smell, indeed divine
Some things do get better with time
[Chorus]
In Anthony David's song "Smoke One," the artist reminisces about reconnecting with an old friend and having a good time. “Smoke one with your folk, drink one with ya boy” are the lyrics for the chorus repeat throughout the song, emphasising the beauty of having a good time over a puff of a joint or a drink with the ones you love. The intention of this song was to remind people of the fun times they would spend together with their friends and how far away they are from each other now, as life moves forward. The lyrics also suggest that the singer would like to go over to his old friend's place and do something bad and have some fun.
The lyrics hint at the memories that a person has with their friends, along with some of the habits that form around them. The line "All I want to do tonight is get next to you, We can make up for lost time, share what's happening in our lives" signifies that the bond this pair shares is still as strong as it was all those years ago. The memories come rushing back with ease as soon as they re-meet. It also points out that changes may have occurred in the past, but things stay the same, and their bond remains as magical as before.
Overall, "Smoke One" is a nostalgic reminder that one should cherish the time they spend with friends, and it also highlights that although time has passed, good friends are always worth reconnecting with.
Line by Line Meaning
Smoke one with your folk
Take a joint and share it with your close friends who understand and support you
Drink one with ya boy
Drink a beer or any other alcoholic beverage with your closest male friend
I know it's been a little while
Since we had a little fun
It has been quite some time since we had real fun together and I want to spend some quality time with you
Fancy running into you again
At this place, at this time
All the memories are rushing back again
I am pleasantly surprised to see you here and all the good times we had are coming back to me
My old friend, how you been doing, yeah?
My dear friend, how have you been doing all this while?
Somebody told me that you lived down here
Somebody told me you bought a crib down here
Maybe I could check it out, I could swing by the house
Maybe I could talk you into doing something bad
I heard that you live around here and maybe I could come over and check out your place. Perhaps, I could convince you to indulge in some mischief with me
Hey, we can do some of the things we used to do
Or we can put our heads together
And come up with something new, yeah
We can either repeat the things we did in the past or brainstorm and find something exciting to do together
All I want to do tonight is get next to you
We can make up for lost time
Share what's happening in our lives
I really want to spend time with you tonight and catch up on everything we missed out on. I want to hear about what's going on in your life and share mine too.
I know some things change
But some things stay the same
Like the magic that occurs whenever we meet
I understand that some things in life do change, but the special bond and connection we share remains the same. There's always a magical feeling whenever we catch up
The way you move, the way you dance
The way you smell, indeed divine
Some things do get better with time
I can't stop admiring the way you move, dance, and smell. As we grow older, some things do get better, and you're one of them
[Chorus]
Repeating the same lines about smoking and drinking with friends after a long while of not having fun together
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ANTHONY DAVID HARRINGTON, BRANDON BURCH, OMAR FERRER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
sage
Anthony David honestly deserves so much more attention.
TONI2COMBS
Yes gawd
T Mac
An instant classic. AD, you've laid the cornerstone for great memories of friends and good times.
kingmanmillenia
I remember hearing this many years ago and couldn't for the life of me remember the song. It has always been one of those songs that a would sing to myself and I decided to look on here again for it and found it!! It's been on repeat for a long while now.
Joshua Wells
This the song my beggin ass uncle use to sing everytime he wanted somebody to smoke or drink wit him LOL
Tony Thomas
FUNNY 1
Steven Butler
Mann this Jorn is so on point
Toya
Great music
Fancy Mitchell
A jam....Hands down
Terri Renee
I'd like to smoke one with him!!