The James Hunter Six -Whatever It Takes (Daptone Records)
Add Date: 01/30
Focus Track: 1 & 3
FCC: Clean
Formats: College, Specialty, & Triple A
Artist Info: A permanent fixture in the world of Rhythm and Soul, James Hunter follows up five critically-acclaimed albums with his latest recording, Whatever It Takes, for New York City’s renowned label, Daptone Records. At the height of his famed recording career, Hunter and Daptone co-founder and producer Bosco Mann recorded an elegantly crafted collection of 10 originals that are evermore poignant and compelling than the singer’s previous works. The James Hunter Six and Mann recorded Whatever It Takes straight to tape at Daptone’s Penrose Studios in Riverside, California.
Subsequent to his acclaim as one of today’s renowned soul singers, Hunter’s restless genius penning emotive and captivating works results in his best written compositions to date on Whatever It Takes. The needle drops on “I Don’t Wanna Be Without You” with saxophones grabbing your collar, pulling you close and moving you over the undulating curves of a rhumba. His words curl casually into your ear alongside the coquettish bubbling of the organ. The casual confidence of a songsmith who’s honed his craft beyond reproach, Hunter’s effortless intimacy on the track drives a perfect synchronicity with its crooning melodies, harmonies, and rhythms. A unified devotion serving only their master’s voice, his almost violently tender voice plucks lyrics off a seemingly endless vine and feeds them to the listener with the eager patience of a lover.