Bobbyisms: James Hunter crafts a gem worth holding on to

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: MARK SHAW
Hold On! is a breath of fresh air; at a time when popular music often feels bereft of emotional or intellectual depth, Hunter has crafted a jewel that is as satisfying regardless of when you listen, whether you're focused at work or the last one still awake at night.

I write about random things a lot. I write a lot about random things. This week, I’m thankful for the coming release of the James Hunter Six’s new record Hold On!, which will be available everywhere on Friday, Feb. 5 via Daptone Records and produced by the label chief Bosco Mann himself.

Hold On! is a breath of fresh air; at a time when popular music often feels bereft of emotional or intellectual depth, Hunter has crafted a jewel that is as satisfying regardless of when you listen, whether you’re focused at work or the last one still awake at night.

Hailing originally from Essex County in England, Hunter has been building his career since the ’80s, gigging and grinding and regularly releasing albums featuring his signature brand of blue–eyed soul music flavoured with jazz and blues guitar.

The journey featured a number of stops along the way with different record deals, saw Hunter work closely with Van Morrison in the ’90s and finally break through as a respected solo artist in the U.S., earning a Grammy Award nomination for his 2006 album People Gonna Talk.

Fast forward 10 years and Hunter is still going strong, sounding as energized as ever. English music magazine MOJO has already fallen in love with the record, awarding it four stars and calling Hunter “the UK’s best soul singer” a week ahead of the album’s release.

Their position is easy to understand, from its opening measure, Hold On! offers flashes of an era gone by from swing to Motown to a psychedelic-era. Yet despite the familiarity, Hunter has crafted something exciting in the record’s 30 minutes, something new and natural enough to stand the test of time among all the contemporaries to whom he will surely be compared.

Album opener “If That Don’t Tell You” takes the listener straight back in time: the crooning horns, the sound of the organ swirling through a Leslie cabinet, it all adds up to set the tone well for what is to come.

An accomplished songwriter and arranger, Hunter demonstrates throughout how sultry and sexy wind instruments can truly be, from the understated accompaniment that softly underlines vocal harmonies in “This Is Where We Come In” and the alluring “Something’s Calling” to the swing and swagger of upbeat tracks like “Free Your Mind (While You Still Got Time)” or “Stranded” with Hunter’s gritty falsetto rising above the soulful sheen of the chorus.

We could even be on the verge of a stylistic awakening; with luck, Hunter’s endearing soul sound will inspire others, igniting a new trend on radio and a wave of similar acts to come.

With its familiar and radio-friendly sound, Hold On! has the potential to find serious rotation on a broad range of home and SFW office stereos, online influencer playlists and broadcast placement possibilities in TV and film. And with songwriters like Adele and Leon Bridges making impressions everywhere, audiences have proven ready to embrace a new generation of popular music star, even one that has been around for a few years, when the music is up to this quality.

For more on Hunter and his group or their new album Hold On!, visit jameshuntermusic.com or follow along on Twitter @jameshuntersix. For a limited time you can download the single “(Baby) Hold On” for free in exchange for a tweet.

And for more of the latest music news, album streams and gigs coming to London, add @fsu_bobbyisms to your Twitter timeline. Keep your eyes open for great gigs in the city with study week coming up, get out and support local music. I’m out of words.