James Hunter
People Gonna Talk (Go/Rounder)
People gonna talk all right, and their first question is gonna be “Where did this guy come from?” A few might recognize England’s James Hunter from his work in the Nineties with fellow blue-eyed soulster Van Morrison, on whose A Night in San Francisco and Days Like These he appeared as well as their related tours. On his U.S. debut, Hunter goes a step further, making music like no one else today. A triple-threat singer/songwriter/guitarist, Hunter brings back the sound of soul circa 1962 and infuses it with a vibrance that’s wonderously effective, channeling Sam Cooke and Ray Charles with a horn-fed band that plays it straight and with vitality. Leading with the bluebeat title track, inventively augmented by a string quartet, Hunter visits the Stax building with “Riot in My Heart,” gets late-night smooth on “I’ll Walk Away,” and swings the blues, exhibiting some of his tangy guitar chops on “Kick it Around.” Characteristic of the period he’s echoing, Hunter’s lyrics are naively lovey-dovey, yet they’re offset by instantaneously memorable choruses and melodies. People Gonna Talk all right. Then they’ll shimmy and shake to one of the classiest records of the year. (James Hunter gets Antone’s talking, Thursday, May 25.)
This article appears in May 19 • 2006.