|
Amazon.co.uk allows you to pay for your items in your local currency. Restrictions apply. Learn More. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s
Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or
view the MP3 Album.
|
Product Description
Review
The title of singer-guitarist James Hunter's second album for the US Concord label refers to his arduous 25-year climb to what might now be deemed 'success', although it's easily possible that that this still-boyish-at-46 Colchester soulster is going to rise even higher. To coincide with this disc's release, Hunter is off on tour with the godlike Willie Nelson, supporting him in the UK and, later, Stateside. Another prime career supporter was Van Morrison, who invited Hunter to join his band for most of the 1990s. And now, the pure embodiment of New Orleans songwriting, Allen Toussaint has discovered him, jetting across to London so he could guest on three of these cuts.
It's not clear how long those guest sessions would have taken Toussaint, as the action in Hackney's Toe Rag Studios was very much geared towards a completely live laying-down of all the parts, in real time, as if on stage. Remember that approach? Hunter wouldn't even overdub his vocals, insisting on complete spontaneity and interaction. Ultimately, analogue evangelist producer Liam Watson is justified in this retro technique, as Hunter refines his ultimate re-evaluation of '60s soul, with the sweet-voiced Sam Cooke being a predominant influence. This is not to say that Hunter doesn't possess some burr to his croon: he'll often swing from high muesli trill down to bourbon moan in the space of a single line. Hunter also composes all his own material, even though it's emphatically rooted in the classic soul form.
Those who've followed James since his bluesabilly days as Howlin' Wilf & The Vee-Jays in the 1980s will always miss the Delta harmonica-blowing side of his personality, seemingly never to be regained. Now, though, he's sometimes smooth and poppy, but always spins around to scribble out one of his pointed guitar solos, distinctively lean in their fast attack, wobbly in their whammy-bar licks. Even when his sentiments are low, Hunter usually sounds cheerful. He's got the authentic sound of the times, with signature tambourine/snare clash, doo-woppy backing vocals, sore-throated saxophone and more sonic space than usual, where hangs the occasional vibraphone, or floats the odd string section. He even closes the album with a totally solo voice-and-acoustic-guitar song, which is another first. The only advice Hunter needs to take is that he should change approach slightly for the next album, unless he wants his recordings to start sounding too alike. More blues, maybe? More twanging rock'n'roll, perchance? --Martin Longley
Find more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
Product Description
(2008 'Go Records')(38:42/12) Mit seiner unnachahmlichen Art, Soul und R&B zu verschmelzen, ohne jemals altbacken zu klingen, steht er in direkter Tradition von Ray Charles. Sein letztes Album wurde 2006 für einen Grammy nominiert wahrlich eine Auszeichnung für einen britischen Sänger, der uramerikanische Musik auf seine Fahnen geschrieben hat. Mit sorgfältigen Bläsersätzen und seiner unaufgeregten Art, Gitarre zu spielen hat Huntre ein weiteres wunderschönes Album veröffentlicht, das an die Sternstundne eines Sam Cooke erinnert. Super! / Well, he's from Colchester, England. But he has more sould in his veins than most of his American contemporaries. His last album was niomintaed for a Grammy in 2006. 'The Hard Way' is an awesome new masterpiece. With his timeless combination of soul and r&b he will continue the stories of masters like Ray Charles or Sam Cooker. Superb!.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Back in the 80s James was the acceptable face of blues as far as the NME was concerned, operating as Howling Wilf and the Veejays. That outfit was much more Chicago Blues orientated. I still have some of the vinyl and its great. Over the years though he has tilted more towards classic soul. His last album , People Gonna Talk, really nailed it. Fabulous songwriting, vocals like Sam Cooke, guitar like Howling Wolf's sideman Hubert Sumlin, lush horn riffage reminiscent of early James Brown, slabs of funky hammond. It was a terrific record and I'm surprised it didn't make him a household name. This follow up has if anything even stronger songwriting. Really tight pop soul numbers. The band sounds similar, with perhaps the addition of more strings along the way. I'd add the Drifters to the list of components this time out. The production is also once again excellent.
Some people are talking about James in the same breathe as Amy Winehouse and wondering why he is not as successful. I believe it is because although Amy references a lot of music from the same era as James, her records have a modern spin and modern lyrical concerns. James is a full on retro performer. It is difficult to tell if these songs come from 1968 or 2008. That can be nice. But I for one would love to hear producer Mark Ronson do a makeover on James Hunter - keep the classic references but give it a modern spin rather than stick entirely retro.
That said, this disc does not disappoint, and I hope James gets the success he deserves for this beautiful life-affirming music. Not all soul music these days actually has soul. James Hunter has it in spades though.
Some people are talking about James in the same breathe as Amy Winehouse and wondering why he is not as successful. I believe it is because although Amy references a lot of music from the same era as James, her records have a modern spin and modern lyrical concerns. James is a full on retro performer. It is difficult to tell if these songs come from 1968 or 2008. That can be nice. But I for one would love to hear producer Mark Ronson do a makeover on James Hunter - keep the classic references but give it a modern spin rather than stick entirely retro.
That said, this disc does not disappoint, and I hope James gets the success he deserves for this beautiful life-affirming music. Not all soul music these days actually has soul. James Hunter has it in spades though.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Many of us have been eagerly waiting to see just how James Hunter would follow his highly acclaimed grammy-nominated album of 2006,"People Gonna Talk".Thankfully,he has once again evoked the warm,sweet sounds of the late '50s and early '60s,and somehow made them his own.This time round there are more complex arrangements,involving strings,additional instruments,backing vocals and all manner of clever touches,but it's all done in such a way it simply melts together into a rich,delicious whole,and feels surprisingly uncontrived.
Throughout the album,from the first infectious title track,with its backing vocal from music legend,Allen Toussaint,we hear exquisite arrangements combined with emotive vocals.By contrast,the stripped-to-the-bare-bones reworking of "Strange But True" is daringly uncomplicated - just the man and his guitar - but it's perfect.No more is necessary.
Stand-out tracks for me include the achingly beautiful "Hand It Over", with its gentle longing,the rockin' "Jacqueline",that surely even Jackie Wilson would have been proud of,"Carina",with its summery ska beat and "Class Act",which bounces along with James' trademark wit and humour.Having said that,there isn't a duff song on here - a testament to the songwriting skills of Mr.Hunter,who penned the lot.The upbeat Latin rhythms that the band are so good at are once again prevalent in "Ain't Goin' Nowhere" and the interesting reworking of "Believe Me Baby";the latter featuring Allen Toussaint's piano prowess alongside James' impressive fretwork."'Til the End" provides some moody blues and there's a new smooth sophistication to "Tell Her",with its horn and mellow,understated vocal,but it's still reassuring to hear James let rip on "She's Got a Way" and "Don't Do Me No Favours" as only he knows how.
Do see these guys live if you ever get the chance.They deliver the same effortless musicianship you hear on CD,but with an unbelievable added sweat value,derived from their relentless drive and energy!
Throughout the album,from the first infectious title track,with its backing vocal from music legend,Allen Toussaint,we hear exquisite arrangements combined with emotive vocals.By contrast,the stripped-to-the-bare-bones reworking of "Strange But True" is daringly uncomplicated - just the man and his guitar - but it's perfect.No more is necessary.
Stand-out tracks for me include the achingly beautiful "Hand It Over", with its gentle longing,the rockin' "Jacqueline",that surely even Jackie Wilson would have been proud of,"Carina",with its summery ska beat and "Class Act",which bounces along with James' trademark wit and humour.Having said that,there isn't a duff song on here - a testament to the songwriting skills of Mr.Hunter,who penned the lot.The upbeat Latin rhythms that the band are so good at are once again prevalent in "Ain't Goin' Nowhere" and the interesting reworking of "Believe Me Baby";the latter featuring Allen Toussaint's piano prowess alongside James' impressive fretwork."'Til the End" provides some moody blues and there's a new smooth sophistication to "Tell Her",with its horn and mellow,understated vocal,but it's still reassuring to hear James let rip on "She's Got a Way" and "Don't Do Me No Favours" as only he knows how.
Do see these guys live if you ever get the chance.They deliver the same effortless musicianship you hear on CD,but with an unbelievable added sweat value,derived from their relentless drive and energy!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
James has had limited success in Britain on the blues/R&B circuit (where he was previously known as Howlin' Wilf) but in the last few years in the US he has enjoyed Grammy nominations for his 'People gonna talk' CD, nationwide tours and national TV appearances. I saw him on last year's San Francisco Blues Festival where, despite sharing the bill with established stars like Alan Toussaint, John Hammond, Charlie Musslewhite, Robert Randolph etc, he was (by far) the best thing on all weekend.
This follow-up to 'People gonna talk' was recorded in London's White Stripes-endorsed analogue Toe Rag studios and again sounds fabulous, straight from the late 50s. The sound, arrangements and indeed some of the songs are very similar to 'People gonna talk' but why change a winning formula? In truth some of the tracks have additional instruments (e.g. the strings and back up vocals on 'Hand it over' and the pedal steel on 'Carina') but the feel remains the same. It's easy to see James influences - Sam Cooke ('Carina') Ray Charles ('Don't do me no favours'), Sam Cooke ('The Hard Way', James Brown ('Believe me baby') - but what better influences to have? Alan Toussaint joins James for several tracks - possibly as a result of the meeting in San Francisco - but James' regular keyboard player Kyle Koeljer is also excellent throughout this CD, as are all his regular band.
If you liked 'People gonna talk' you will like 'The Hard Way', which has exactly the same feel and overall (excellent) sound but has just enough progressions to keep it interesting. In many ways James is doing similar material to Amy Winehouse, Dufy, Mark Ronson but doing it much more authentically; it's a pity he can't share their popularity in his own country.
This follow-up to 'People gonna talk' was recorded in London's White Stripes-endorsed analogue Toe Rag studios and again sounds fabulous, straight from the late 50s. The sound, arrangements and indeed some of the songs are very similar to 'People gonna talk' but why change a winning formula? In truth some of the tracks have additional instruments (e.g. the strings and back up vocals on 'Hand it over' and the pedal steel on 'Carina') but the feel remains the same. It's easy to see James influences - Sam Cooke ('Carina') Ray Charles ('Don't do me no favours'), Sam Cooke ('The Hard Way', James Brown ('Believe me baby') - but what better influences to have? Alan Toussaint joins James for several tracks - possibly as a result of the meeting in San Francisco - but James' regular keyboard player Kyle Koeljer is also excellent throughout this CD, as are all his regular band.
If you liked 'People gonna talk' you will like 'The Hard Way', which has exactly the same feel and overall (excellent) sound but has just enough progressions to keep it interesting. In many ways James is doing similar material to Amy Winehouse, Dufy, Mark Ronson but doing it much more authentically; it's a pity he can't share their popularity in his own country.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
The best album I've bought for some time.
Van Morrisson discibed James Hunter as England's best kept secret. James Hunter says it was an overnight success that took 20 years. Read more
Published on 20 May 2010 by Melvyn Higson
brill
fab got all his cds after hearin friend of mine playing 1 after he seen him live
Published on 4 Nov 2009 by Jacqueline M. Parry
Great Album - but a warning - inaccurate description of product!
Warning to prospective buyers - this is a two disc CD, NOT a 5 disc boxed set as in the Amazon description (as I found out when I received my copy). Read more
Published on 27 Sep 2009 by Shockvalue
Happily, another cracking album...
James Hunter previous album, "People Gonna Talk", remains a real gem of a record - wonderfully sharp songs, brilliantly played and exquisitely produced by Liam Watson. Read more
Published on 22 Aug 2008 by Ben
Buy the hard way!
This is a great album. full stop!
James and the band are fantastic live and that energy has been captured on this album. Read more
James and the band are fantastic live and that energy has been captured on this album. Read more
Published on 10 Jun 2008 by Bobthemod
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
