He's written songs and toured with Grammy nominated soul artist India.Arie.

Anthony David, People Magazine’s Soul Artist of 2007, is touring in support of his latest album, The Red Clay Chronicles.

The Savannah, Ga., native, who now calls Atlanta home, was scheduled to play Sunset Station on Saturday, May 26. According to Sunset Station officials, the show was canceled because of “little interest.”

David recently talked to 210SA about the struggle for R&B artists.

How is The Red Clay Chronicles different from your debut release, 3 Chords & the Truth?

The first one was primarily acoustic because at the time, I didn't have a studio or none of that. It was just me and the guitar. When I got the deal with Brash Records, I wanted to record all these songs I'd written in as pure a sound as possible, with no extra production. On the second album, I went back to my R&B roots with more beats, expanding my sound.

What is it about your music that resonates with so many people?

It's very relatable because I talk about a lot of things that people experience and go through. It's part of my job to find little stones unturned in everyday emotional life or everyday experiences and expand on them.

How did you befriend India.Arie?

She was the first person I met when I moved here (to Atlanta), and we always liked the same music. I started writing songs with her, and the whole scene was blowing up around us. There were places to go and do it. People were coming out who weren't concerned with what was on the radio. They liked what they liked, and they got into it. They didn't need the radio to tell them what was good, and it started from there. Honestly, (India.Arie) was always cool, and I always liked her style. I knew her for three years before I heard her sing, and I thought people would like it. Honestly, Grammys and sales have more to do with things beyond talent, but I thought the potential was there. I hoped it would all come around.

You even wrote a song — “Part of My Life” — for her 2001 record, Acoustic Soul. How did that come about?

We used to always share songs, and it was written a long time ago, which is why it ended up on my record (3 Chords & the Truth). She was trying to tell her producer that he should meet (me), and when we played that song, he immediately made a beat for that and said, “I think we can do something with this.”

 Why do you think it's harder for many R&B artists to blow up in the mainstream?

 I'm not really sure man. Maybe it has something to do with cultural aspects, capitalism or something. It's the same reason it's hard to find good food in the supermarket. That's just part of our society. I guess if something is quicker, easier and cheaper to produce, there's going to be more of it out there.

Who are some artists you're into now?

I love a lot, from Usher to Amy Winehouse to Beyoncé. I like a certain type of artist. Within every realm, there's some good stuff and some stuff that sucks. There's some stuff that sucks in the neo-soul realm, and in the pop realm some are good and others aren't.

Is it a musician's obligation or responsibility to be socially conscious?

No. If that's how you are, then that's how you are. I do think that for me, I like to be dimensional and present myself the way I think I am in real life. It's only a slight introduction in a condensed version. Some artists are party artists, but for me, I want it to be like a regular conversation in a barbershop, just talking about girls and the world. These are things people do talk about, even the party artists, and I feel like that's what makes my album complete. I like the chance to have a conversation about as many things as I can.

Clint Hale | 210SA