Tony! Toni! Tone! "Anniversary"

Album: Sons of Soul (Mercury; 1993)
Songwriters: Carl Wheeler and Raphael Wiggins
R&B Peak Position: #2

"Do you know what today is...?"

Any couple celebrating a milestone in their relationship were rewarded an anthem to soundtrack the event when Tony! Toni! Tone! released this slow-burning jewel in 1992.
"Anniversary" came as the second single from the band's third album, Sons of Soul, and it immediately stood forth as a creation to cherish.

Evoking a romancing mood ideal for an intimate, nocturnal sway between lovers, "Anniversary" brewed a languid groove stew of guitar, keyboards and some mesmerizing string work laced with Raphael Saadiq's gentle vocal. "Tell your supervisor that you're leaving early today," Saadiq coolly croons, declaring that he's going to "pay for the rest of your day".

He's planned an amorous afternoon and evening for him and his gal that includes some tea-sipping relaxation while looking back at the first moments of their union (to which he admits he remembers clearly), and, of course, a lovemaking session she won't soon forget ("Victoria won't be no secret at this end of the day," he winks). But rather than go into detail as to how he's going to sweat her weave out, Saadiq, and co-writer/ keyboardist Carl Wheeler, keep the lyrical element of "Anniversary" as classy as the arrangement, choosing to focus more on the lingering excitement and proud achievement surrounding such a special day.

Yet another testament to the band's amazing song-crafting abilities and top-notch musicianship (an element sadly lost in most of today's overly-digital-reliant urban contemporary atmosphere), "Anniversary" helped make Sons of Soul become TX3's biggest commercial triumph, while earning due heralding as a timeless nugget of modern-day R&B.

Best Moment: When Saadiq's falsetto seamlessly weaves into a mirroring violin riff. (1:59)



DL: "Anniversary" (YFH)