Anthony Hamilton gets to the point of it all

Anthony Hamilton (pictured in Chicago) delivered songs and advice on Tuesday. (Paul Warner/Getty Images for House of Blues)

FOXBOROUGH - Anthony Hamilton came to party, and he wasn't about to let a stationary fan stop him.

Three songs into his sold-out set at Showcase Live on Tuesday, the R&B singer turned his attention to a "martini lady," as he called her, who sat near the front with her arms folded. She looked like she wasn't having a good time, and Hamilton wasn't having it.

"I'll come down there and take that lime off your drink," he said in good humor. "You can't be mad at me. I just got here."

Just like that, the mood lifted and Hamilton shook off his sluggish opening songs. Hamilton really did want to get down, and you can hardly blame him. It's been three years since his last studio album, the acclaimed "Ain't Nobody Worryin'," and he was eager to preview his upcoming one, "The Point of It All." From the sound of new songs like the title track and "Her Heart," Hamilton is still the lover man forever in the doghouse.

But he also finds strength and inspiration in his family. On "Mama Knew Love," Hamilton channeled Bill Withers in an emotional tribute that got him thinking about the importance of raising a family the right way. "You can't earn your wings without taking care of your babies," he said in a pointed remark to the guys in the house. "I take care of mine."

Hamilton hit his stride midway through his set with a propulsive "Sista Big Bones." He started out nice and slow like a preacher man at the pulpit, then locked into a steady groove that took him into the audience for nearly 10 minutes to dance with the ladies.

Hamilton loves his ladies, all right; they've given him some of his greatest songs. The one-two punch of "Charlene" and "Lucille" took the show into slow jam mode, but Hamilton bounced back with "Cool," the first single from the new album.

As he wrapped up the show with "Soul on Fire," Hamilton turned down the volume and ad-libbed, "Jesus put out my fire." It was clear that for him, the spiritual and the sensual are the same.