There’s nothing new in music - it’s all been done before and everyone knows it. Not that this need be a bad thing.
Take James Hunter, for example.

The singer-songwriter sounds so anachronistic, so completely out of this era, that his croon could have garnered accolades two generations ago. This is because Hunter’s muse is the genius of The Rat Pack, Sammy Davis Jr. and older delta bluesman, so much so his music is an extension of those influences. 

Low-lying, plaintive guitar pokes and horn arrangements lilt through Hunter’s vocal range, one that lies somewhere between Sam Cooke and Gene Pitney, creating traditional, relaxed melodies that reverberate power in their simplicity. In our world, what Hunter plays is called new soul. In actuality, it’s a variation on original soul, a gorgeous interpretation of a timeless sound.

“I must admit, what we do is anachronistic, but not intentionally so,” says Hunter from his van, sputtering through the middle of Germany on tour. “My goal is to make music that is instantly accessible and catchy, with a good groove to it. It just comes out sounding old-fashioned.” And this is no bad thing. Hunter sticks to what is tried and true, careful not to cram his melodies with too much sound, in order to let the accessibility of each phrase stand out. The results are catchy songs filled with love, love-scorn and sexual symbolism, but through a mature, tuxedoed approach. 

There are no gangly synthesizers or overly zealous production, just simple croon, done as well as it was fifty years ago.

Hunter’s second release, 2008’s The Hard Way, epitomizes this. A clever but restrained affair, the album wilts through twelve somewhat similar old-fashioned Rock ‘n’ Roll and soul numbers, buttressed with string plucks and brass accents. “We recorded it in the available time between touring, which was about two weeks for recording and another for mixing,” explains Hunter. “The challenge was to get everything down in single takes, as Liam Howe, the engineer, had everything set up on two tracks so that there was no scope for fixing the vocals afterwards. 

“I believe he did this for two reasons; one: to get a better sound quality and achieve a more spontaneous feel in the performance and, secondly, to annoy us of course!” He’s right – about the sound quality, of course. The album feels live, as if each song is jumping with joy. Recorded as they did in the 50s, with very few microphones, tracks or takes, The Hard Way showcases Hunter in his most raw, but also most effective. 

Careful not to overpower any moment, Hunter commands his band through each song using his voice as a map, carving out each verse, chorus and solo to allow his accompaniment to focus on his or her specific tasks at hand. As a result, the band sounds remarkably fluid, especially for a collective forced to record on two-tracks with next to no takes. “It works for me, that recording style,” adds Hunter, “because I prefer simple tunes, as they are often the ones that stick in your mind and are more accessible and long-lasting. Plus, for me, they are to remember if I leave my notebook at home. Still, I do feel the new record is more sophisticated, mostly because our string players wrote posh string arrangements for it. I can’t read music myself, but their parts in these sessions were gorgeous, and that bolstered the songs considerably.”
Since it’s release, The Hard Way has taken Hunter across the world, from Japan to Canada. In addition, the man has collaborated with legendary New Orleans sideman Allan Toussaint, an experience that left an indelible mark on the songwriter. 

“He had already influenced us before we worked with him,” affirms Hunter. “So to tell you the truth, we just got on with it. Our manager’s husband asked him to do the backing vocals, which he was a bit reluctant to do at first, as I don’t think he likes his singing as much as we do. But it came out great. Plus, we got to ask him about people like Ernie K-Doe and Guitar Slim, who were his contemporaries in New Orleans.”

Hunter will hit Ronnie Scott’s this month, his final European gig after a lengthy continental tour. Afterwards, he will return to Acton Town, where he will begin writing and pre-production on album number three. And this thought, the excitement of another album, is what prompts most excitement in him.

Hunter has found methods to keep his trademark croon starkly original, whilst still remaining highly traditional and respectful to its origins. This is the mark of an honest musician, and one destined to reach the acme in his chosen craft, much like his muses did half a century earlier, when they did the same with the artists that influenced them.

Frank Sinatra was original, but his originality stemmed from how he interpreted music that came before him. It’s not like he invented singing. Same goes for James Hunter.