R&B singer Vaughn Anthony said, “My new mixtape is called ‘Life of a Player,’ but it’s not as nasty as it sounds.”

Citing influences such as Marvin Gaye, D’Angelo and Stevie Wonder, Springfield native Anthony is embarking on his own journey to establish himself as a major R&B artist. “Life of a Player” features collaborations with his brother, R&B star John Legend, as well as Rick Ross, Prodigy of Mobb Deep, Olivia and others.

As Anthony puts it, the collection “is about the male perspective of the ups and downs in a relationship.”

“Life of a Player” is available in two versions: a batch of 15 tracks available for free at his website (www.vaughnanthonymusic.com), or a six-track EP available for download at iTunes, Spotify and Amazon.

Phat Boi from Home School Records and singer/songwriter Blue Miller produced it.

“It’s got some great songs,” Anthony said. “ ‘In Your Shoes’ talks about the man’s and woman’s roles being reversed, and has Olivia from VH1’s ‘Love and Hip Hop’ on it. The song ‘One More Chance’ features Prodigy and is about a guy trying to get back with his girl after all the times he messed up. Then there’s ‘Hold Me Down,’ I did with my brother, John Legend, and it’s about finding true love. And there’s ‘Girl It’s Alright’ that empowers women and says you don’t have to look like a model; you are perfect the way you are.”

“The EP has a couple extra tracks, like ‘Need You’ that’s just an acoustic guitar and one of my favorite songs. It talks about true love.”

The mixtape and EP, just released on July 31, are doing well. In fact, the first single, ‘Hold Me Down,’ debuted at No. 1 on HotNewHipHop.com. “I’m doing some tours, heading out to Boston, then D.C., Chicago and L.A., before coming back to New York,” Anthony said.

Aside from continuing his music career, Anthony said that he is also meeting with a major stage and screen producer and hopes to take a stab at acting.