Hal Linton

Official Biography (courtesy of Hal Linton)

Call Hal Linton just another R&B act and you're simply not listening. While rooted in traditional R&B sensibilities of Motown's halcyon days, the multi-talented, 24 year old singer/songwriter's modern take on the genre means he is carving his own musical lane.

Hal Linton, whose musical styling cannot be boxed in or contained, was born in Barbados to classically trained musician parents, soaking up the music of sounds of musical geniuses including Al Green, Bob Marley and Marvin Gaye. Coming up in the local music scene, Linton would release an independent album, Spirit:Life:Love, to critical acclaim. In 2007, said album won multiple Barbados Music Awards including Pop Artist of the Year (which he would win again in 2008), Song of the Year ("Cardiac Arrest") and Songwriter of the Year.

After moving to New York to pursue his music career dreams stateside, the sweet voicedLinton aligned with SRP Records, the same team that discovered fellow Bajan artists Rihanna and Shontelle, and was signed by Universal Motown Records President Sylvia Rhone in late 2008.

Since then Linton has been crafting and perfecting his debut album, Return from the Future. Rocking a stage is also one of Linton's greatest gifts and he has gained fans the last year touring the U.S. with Estelle and Solange Knowles. There have also been star launching performances that include electrifying renditions of "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" at the 2009 Soul Train Awards and a Motown dedicated NFL halftime show (on Thanksgiving Day), and a talent revealing showcase on BET's Rising Icons.

With his vocals likened to a seamless mix of Maxwell, D'Angelo and Prince, it goes without saying Linton's musical back will be up to par. Return from the Future's production fits the bill with contributions from Salaam Remi (Amy Winehouse, The Fugees, Jazmine Sullivan), Jim Jonsin (T.I., Lil Wayne), Bruno Mars and SRP's Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken.

One of the Return from the Future's standout tracks is the Remi and Jonsin produced "Southern Hospitality" which was written by Rico Love (Chris Brown, Beyonce, Usher) and Robin Thicke. Other notable tracks, which also demonstrate his versatility, include the vibrantly bumping "Lock My Heart Down", "Mind Control" and the beautiful, key laden ballad "Abandoned Heart."