Biography (courtesy of EMI Gospel)
Antonio Neal sings real music abo… Read Full Bio ↴Biography (courtesy of EMI Gospel)
Antonio Neal sings real music about real life. The world he portrays on his new, debut release, Days of My Life, is not always a perfect place. And the people who populate it suffer life's trials just as readily as they celebrate its triumphs. But pervading the album's eleven songs are consistent themes of hope, encouragement, and reasons to believe that it's all worth the challenge.
Musically, Antonio paints on a canvass that can truly be called his own, from a palette of musical colors as vast and arresting as his own seemingly boundless imagination. Understanding that this is an artist whose singularly unique vision is as influenced by the sweet sounds of legendary '70s soul crooner, Al Green, as it is modern, cutting-edge hip-hop, one gets at least an inkling that this is something altogether new, created by an artist clearly guided by nothing but his own inner visions.
Pop it into the player and you'll know you're on terrain that is as new and daring as it is somehow familiar and accessible. Co-writing all the album's eleven songs, and co-producing with studio visionary Tedd T, Antonio is clearly drawn to smooth, quiet-fire grooves, under girded with some serious hip-hop muscle. Sparse instrumentations, of the decidedly less-is-more school, feature a big bass end and rhythm, often colored with a solitary additional instrument, from slinky electric guitar, or perhaps a crystalline acoustic, to a grand piano or surges of strings.
Possessing a compelling, multi-octave voice—often buttressed by a rich, jaw-dropping background ensemble (99% Antonio, as well)—Antonio and Tedd T are not shy about putting their vocal mixes squarely in your face. Which is right where they belong.
Crossing this remarkable bridge between classic R&B and on-the-edge hip-hop, comparisons and descriptions race to mind, all accurate enough, but none entirely adequate. "Luther Vandross meets Prince, meet the Almighty" is not bad in the snappy analogy department. And even though words like "bold and innovative" seem to contradict "commercial, accessible, and hooky," in the world of Antonio Neal they all make perfect sense, and co-exist quite comfortably.
The title song of Days of My Life boasts meaty bass and drums on the bottom, and a wistful grand piano, anchoring an irresistible Motown-flavored groove, with Antonio turning in a stratospheric vocal that soars into and out of his shimmering falsetto range with complete ease and grace, as he gives thanks for all the good things that fill his life.
"The Only One" smoothly shifts gears to a gentle, unforgettable acoustic guitar and percussion-led ballad, with Antonio and his ensemble delivering vocals that are nothing short of angelic. "So Good" lays down a thick bass line that puts backbone into dazzling, inventive strings and Antonio's silky smooth vocals.
"Our Love" is a romantic love song written by Antonio to Sharralisa, describing true, really meaningful love between husband and wife as the greatest elixir of life on Earth. It's a laid-back, mid-tempo jam, but with a serious hip-hop pocket, just to make sure his woman truly feels what he's saying and knows it's for real.
"I can't be a man, and a husband, and a father, and exclude my family from my music," says Antonio. "That's like telling the sky it can't have clouds. And the same time, my music will never take precedence over them. I grew up with a father I hardly ever saw. He was working hard to support his family, which I respect, but his absence also took a toll. If it ever came down to a choice in my life, I'd be out of here and home in a second."
Antonio was born in Alton, Illinois, a suburb of St. Louis, one of seven children. His father worked on long-term construction projects, almost always out-of-town, and often seeing his family a little as two weekends-a-month. As a result, Antonio's mother had a strong and defining hand in raising her offspring, and active church involvement was an important and ongoing part of the family's life.
Antonio sang in church choirs as a kid, but never felt a calling to pursue music beyond that. His initial exposure to music was the traditional choral gospel music he heard in church and occasionally on the radio, but he was never really moved by much of what he heard until his older brother started bringing home albums by contemporary R&B/gospel acts, such as Commissioned, Andrae Crouch, and the Winans.
While his mother didn't allow secular music played in their house, Antonio still managed to hide a radio under his pillow and absorb the mainstream hits of the day, with acts like El DeBarge and Stevie Wonder, as well as older artists—Al Green, in particular—spinning his young head.
He and his family moved to Houston during his first year of high school when his father received a job transfer. By that time Antonio was well on the way to his adult height of 6' 4", and a gifted athlete dreaming of a career in professional basketball. He met the woman who would become his wife, Sharralisa Hendrix, at church when he was 16, and was immediately smitten, though the two became and remained only "good friends" for a season, before their relationship bloomed into a serious romance.
Antonio received a full basketball scholarship to Texas A&M University in Kingsville, about five hours south of Houston, and he and Sharralisa wed at age 19, after his first year of college. The couple moved back to Illinois soon after marrying, with Antonio dividing the next four years between three colleges, all still on full basketball scholarships, though his plans for a career in the pros had faded in the 1994-'95 season, when a severe knee and ankle injury permanently hampered his ability to play at the level he had previously been capable of. But even worse than the physical injury was the profound psychological blow Antonio received when he finally had to admit that his game would never again be what it had been, and his long-held dream had slipped from his reach.
"I was extremely depressed, and feeling totally lost," he recalls. "Basketball had been my ticket for almost my whole life, and suddenly it was gone. I was a wreck for a long time before I finally pulled out of it."
But even though he felt like he was drifting aimlessly, haplessly searching for a new direction in life, his talents as a singer and a songwriter were starting to emerge and grow in leaps and bounds.
In his early 20s, Antonio's talents as a singer and songwriter had developed to a degree where he felt comfortable performing in various venues in and around the area. Antonio released two independent CDs, one in 1999, and a second in 2000. When a copy of one of those projects found its way into the hands of contemporary Christian/rap pioneer Toby Mac of the group dc Talk, also co-owner of one of that genre's preeminent labels, he was mightily impressed.
Mac, based in Nashville, contacted Antonio and told him to drop by his office whenever he was in town. That association led to Antonio landing five cuts on an album by the hit act, the Katinas, in 2001, and upped his visibility in the Nashville creative community and music business considerably. More than 40 cuts by other name artists, including Stacie Orrico, and Darlene McCoy's "Fallen In Love" from the hit soundtrack, "Tyler Perry's Diary of a Mad Black Woman," as well as Antonio's own finely honed skills as an artist and produce, made an artist project of his own an inevitability, leading steadily and surely to Days of My Life.
As Antonio steps onto the platform he's now been given, his thoughts run to what he can do not only to help other artists, but to broaden the range of today's musical categorizations, and diffuse some of the definitions that put limits on artists' creativity.
"I'd really like to help create opportunities for other urban artists who right now might feel like they don't stand a chance in this business," says Antonio. "Any success I have is something way bigger than me. I don't even want it to be about me. I want it to be about opening doors … the same kind of doors that have been opened to me.
"I want to write and sing about the things I go through, and a lot of people go through," he concludes. "I know, and I think it's clear in my songs, that and at the end of the day, Who's in control, and Who's going to get me through. And that gives me the freedom to look at, and live in, and write about all the aspects of His creation."
Or, you could simply say, real music about real life. ~ http://www.christianmusiccentral.net/artistsbiographies/987-antonio-neal-biography.html
Antonio Neal sings real music abo… Read Full Bio ↴Biography (courtesy of EMI Gospel)
Antonio Neal sings real music about real life. The world he portrays on his new, debut release, Days of My Life, is not always a perfect place. And the people who populate it suffer life's trials just as readily as they celebrate its triumphs. But pervading the album's eleven songs are consistent themes of hope, encouragement, and reasons to believe that it's all worth the challenge.
Musically, Antonio paints on a canvass that can truly be called his own, from a palette of musical colors as vast and arresting as his own seemingly boundless imagination. Understanding that this is an artist whose singularly unique vision is as influenced by the sweet sounds of legendary '70s soul crooner, Al Green, as it is modern, cutting-edge hip-hop, one gets at least an inkling that this is something altogether new, created by an artist clearly guided by nothing but his own inner visions.
Pop it into the player and you'll know you're on terrain that is as new and daring as it is somehow familiar and accessible. Co-writing all the album's eleven songs, and co-producing with studio visionary Tedd T, Antonio is clearly drawn to smooth, quiet-fire grooves, under girded with some serious hip-hop muscle. Sparse instrumentations, of the decidedly less-is-more school, feature a big bass end and rhythm, often colored with a solitary additional instrument, from slinky electric guitar, or perhaps a crystalline acoustic, to a grand piano or surges of strings.
Possessing a compelling, multi-octave voice—often buttressed by a rich, jaw-dropping background ensemble (99% Antonio, as well)—Antonio and Tedd T are not shy about putting their vocal mixes squarely in your face. Which is right where they belong.
Crossing this remarkable bridge between classic R&B and on-the-edge hip-hop, comparisons and descriptions race to mind, all accurate enough, but none entirely adequate. "Luther Vandross meets Prince, meet the Almighty" is not bad in the snappy analogy department. And even though words like "bold and innovative" seem to contradict "commercial, accessible, and hooky," in the world of Antonio Neal they all make perfect sense, and co-exist quite comfortably.
The title song of Days of My Life boasts meaty bass and drums on the bottom, and a wistful grand piano, anchoring an irresistible Motown-flavored groove, with Antonio turning in a stratospheric vocal that soars into and out of his shimmering falsetto range with complete ease and grace, as he gives thanks for all the good things that fill his life.
"The Only One" smoothly shifts gears to a gentle, unforgettable acoustic guitar and percussion-led ballad, with Antonio and his ensemble delivering vocals that are nothing short of angelic. "So Good" lays down a thick bass line that puts backbone into dazzling, inventive strings and Antonio's silky smooth vocals.
"Our Love" is a romantic love song written by Antonio to Sharralisa, describing true, really meaningful love between husband and wife as the greatest elixir of life on Earth. It's a laid-back, mid-tempo jam, but with a serious hip-hop pocket, just to make sure his woman truly feels what he's saying and knows it's for real.
"I can't be a man, and a husband, and a father, and exclude my family from my music," says Antonio. "That's like telling the sky it can't have clouds. And the same time, my music will never take precedence over them. I grew up with a father I hardly ever saw. He was working hard to support his family, which I respect, but his absence also took a toll. If it ever came down to a choice in my life, I'd be out of here and home in a second."
Antonio was born in Alton, Illinois, a suburb of St. Louis, one of seven children. His father worked on long-term construction projects, almost always out-of-town, and often seeing his family a little as two weekends-a-month. As a result, Antonio's mother had a strong and defining hand in raising her offspring, and active church involvement was an important and ongoing part of the family's life.
Antonio sang in church choirs as a kid, but never felt a calling to pursue music beyond that. His initial exposure to music was the traditional choral gospel music he heard in church and occasionally on the radio, but he was never really moved by much of what he heard until his older brother started bringing home albums by contemporary R&B/gospel acts, such as Commissioned, Andrae Crouch, and the Winans.
While his mother didn't allow secular music played in their house, Antonio still managed to hide a radio under his pillow and absorb the mainstream hits of the day, with acts like El DeBarge and Stevie Wonder, as well as older artists—Al Green, in particular—spinning his young head.
He and his family moved to Houston during his first year of high school when his father received a job transfer. By that time Antonio was well on the way to his adult height of 6' 4", and a gifted athlete dreaming of a career in professional basketball. He met the woman who would become his wife, Sharralisa Hendrix, at church when he was 16, and was immediately smitten, though the two became and remained only "good friends" for a season, before their relationship bloomed into a serious romance.
Antonio received a full basketball scholarship to Texas A&M University in Kingsville, about five hours south of Houston, and he and Sharralisa wed at age 19, after his first year of college. The couple moved back to Illinois soon after marrying, with Antonio dividing the next four years between three colleges, all still on full basketball scholarships, though his plans for a career in the pros had faded in the 1994-'95 season, when a severe knee and ankle injury permanently hampered his ability to play at the level he had previously been capable of. But even worse than the physical injury was the profound psychological blow Antonio received when he finally had to admit that his game would never again be what it had been, and his long-held dream had slipped from his reach.
"I was extremely depressed, and feeling totally lost," he recalls. "Basketball had been my ticket for almost my whole life, and suddenly it was gone. I was a wreck for a long time before I finally pulled out of it."
But even though he felt like he was drifting aimlessly, haplessly searching for a new direction in life, his talents as a singer and a songwriter were starting to emerge and grow in leaps and bounds.
In his early 20s, Antonio's talents as a singer and songwriter had developed to a degree where he felt comfortable performing in various venues in and around the area. Antonio released two independent CDs, one in 1999, and a second in 2000. When a copy of one of those projects found its way into the hands of contemporary Christian/rap pioneer Toby Mac of the group dc Talk, also co-owner of one of that genre's preeminent labels, he was mightily impressed.
Mac, based in Nashville, contacted Antonio and told him to drop by his office whenever he was in town. That association led to Antonio landing five cuts on an album by the hit act, the Katinas, in 2001, and upped his visibility in the Nashville creative community and music business considerably. More than 40 cuts by other name artists, including Stacie Orrico, and Darlene McCoy's "Fallen In Love" from the hit soundtrack, "Tyler Perry's Diary of a Mad Black Woman," as well as Antonio's own finely honed skills as an artist and produce, made an artist project of his own an inevitability, leading steadily and surely to Days of My Life.
As Antonio steps onto the platform he's now been given, his thoughts run to what he can do not only to help other artists, but to broaden the range of today's musical categorizations, and diffuse some of the definitions that put limits on artists' creativity.
"I'd really like to help create opportunities for other urban artists who right now might feel like they don't stand a chance in this business," says Antonio. "Any success I have is something way bigger than me. I don't even want it to be about me. I want it to be about opening doors … the same kind of doors that have been opened to me.
"I want to write and sing about the things I go through, and a lot of people go through," he concludes. "I know, and I think it's clear in my songs, that and at the end of the day, Who's in control, and Who's going to get me through. And that gives me the freedom to look at, and live in, and write about all the aspects of His creation."
Or, you could simply say, real music about real life. ~ http://www.christianmusiccentral.net/artistsbiographies/987-antonio-neal-biography.html
The Only One
Antonio Neal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You mean more to me than any words could say
You Illuminate my path and lead the way
Like a star You shine so bright that I can see
Your love for me
I never want to live a day without Your touch
In Your secret place is where I want to be
In Your presence is everything that I need
You are my life, my love
You are the only one I need
You are the only God for me
I cannot move, cannot breathe
Unless You exhale in me
It is so sweet to know that You have drawn so close
And in return I'd lay my life down at Your feet
Your desire is the song I want to know
You are my song, my melody
You are the only one I need
You are the only God for me
I cannot move, cannot breathe
Unless You exhale in me
You are the only one I need
You are the only God for me
I cannot move, cannot breathe
Unless You exhale in me
You are my shelter, my comfort and peace
Your words I rely on Jesus, reveal Your truth in me
You're my strong tower, Your refuge I seek
Bright and morning Star, I wanna be where You are
Lord, I adore You, I adore You
Lord, I adore You and I bless Your name
Lord, I adore You, I adore You
You are the only one I need
You are the only God for me
I cannot move, cannot breathe
Unless You exhale in me
You are the only one I need
You are the only God for me
I cannot move, cannot breathe
Unless You exhale in me
You are the only one I need
I cannot move, cannot breathe
Unless You exhale in me
Lord, I adore You, I adore You
Lord, I adore You and I bless Your name
Lord, I adore You, I adore You
Lord, I adore You
Beautiful that's what I call
Wonderful that's what I call
That's what I call
You Illuminate my path and lead the way
Like a star You shine so bright that I can see
Your love for me
I never want to live a day without Your touch
In Your secret place is where I want to be
In Your presence is everything that I need
You are the only one I need
You are the only God for me
I cannot move, cannot breathe
Unless You exhale in me
It is so sweet to know that You have drawn so close
And in return I'd lay my life down at Your feet
Your desire is the song I want to know
You are my song, my melody
You are the only one I need
You are the only God for me
I cannot move, cannot breathe
Unless You exhale in me
You are the only one I need
You are the only God for me
I cannot move, cannot breathe
Unless You exhale in me
You are my shelter, my comfort and peace
Your words I rely on Jesus, reveal Your truth in me
You're my strong tower, Your refuge I seek
Bright and morning Star, I wanna be where You are
Lord, I adore You, I adore You
Lord, I adore You and I bless Your name
Lord, I adore You, I adore You
You are the only one I need
You are the only God for me
I cannot move, cannot breathe
Unless You exhale in me
You are the only one I need
You are the only God for me
I cannot move, cannot breathe
Unless You exhale in me
You are the only one I need
I cannot move, cannot breathe
Unless You exhale in me
Lord, I adore You, I adore You
Lord, I adore You and I bless Your name
Lord, I adore You, I adore You
Lord, I adore You
Beautiful that's what I call
Wonderful that's what I call
That's what I call
"The Only One" by Antonio Neal is a heartfelt song that expresses the singer's devotion to God. The lyrics talk about how God is the most important thing in the singer's life and how His love illuminates his path and leads him through life. The singer expresses his desire to be in God's presence at all times, and how he cannot live without God's touch. He describes God as his shelter, comfort, peace, and strong tower. Throughout the song, the singer repeats that God is the only one he needs, the only God for him, and he cannot move or breathe without God's exhale in him.
In summary, the song is a declaration of the singer's love and devotion to God, and how he cannot imagine living his life without Him.
Line by Line Meaning
You mean more to me than any words could say
You are invaluable to me and your significance cannot be expressed in words.
You Illuminate my path and lead the way
You guide me towards the right direction and light up my life.
Like a star You shine so bright that I can see
Your love for me
Your love for me radiates like a shining star and it's visible to me.
I never want to live a day without Your touch
I cannot imagine my life without experiencing your touch every day.
In Your secret place is where I want to be
I want to be in your presence where I can access your secrets.
In Your presence is everything that I need
You are my life, my love
Everything that I need is found in you, you are my source of life and love.
You are the only one I need
You are the only God for me
I cannot move, cannot breathe
Unless You exhale in me
I cannot exist without you, you are the only God that I need, and my every breath depends on you.
It is so sweet to know that You have drawn so close
And in return I'd lay my life down at Your feet
I'm grateful that you have come closer to me, and I am willing to lay down my life for you.
Your desire is the song I want to know
You are my song, my melody
I am intrigued to know your desires and they are like a song to me that I'll always sing.
You are my shelter, my comfort and peace
Your words I rely on Jesus, reveal Your truth in me
You're my strong tower, Your refuge I seek
Bright and morning Star, I wanna be where You are
You provide me with protection, comfort, and peace. I rely on your words and want to be near you always.
Lord, I adore You, I adore You
Lord, I adore You and I bless Your name
Lord, I adore You, I adore You
I worship you and thank you for your blessings.
Beautiful that's what I call
Wonderful that's what I call
That's what I call
You are amazing, wonderful and I have no words to describe your greatness.
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP
Written by: ALEX BAND, DANIEL ANTHONY DAMICO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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@oscarjackon77
This song should've gone wayyyyy further than it has and should've received more recognition than it did. This song helped my husband through the toughest struggle of his life.. Still listening to this day!
@sugarkanem.ed.6791
Pure Worship! JUST discovered this song on a dated WOW CD. I have been worshipping with Antonio Neal as he sings this ANOINTED SONG ever since. There is nothing like worshipping our God, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
@keishaarmour6396
I discovered this song on a CD of great worship songs. I was listening to this in the car and I keep replaying it because it is so beautiful. This is now one of my favorite worship songs.
@KimMessengerOfRap
One of my favorite songs of all time 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🥰
@31ajprov
This song deserved so much more news. One of my favorite worship songs to this day!! Love the heart!
@erickaharr1959
How come songs like this never too the charts? This song blessed my spirit! #Thetruth ❤️💯
@gregwoolliscroft6255
BEAUTIFUL.....JUST BEAUTIFUL....
@leonb7777
I lay my life at your feet, what a thing to give back to our Lord who gives us life in the first place. WOW what a song. I found it on WOW Gospel 2009
@tylerharris1163
A beautiful song to glorify our Lord and Savior!
@champ4christnationtvmusic2
Glory Song