PRODUCT REVIEWS

CD: James Hunter - The Hard Way

Written by: Fred | October 2008

Have you ever thought ‘they don’t make music like that any more?’ Well, James Hunter does. On The Hard Way, Hunter channels Sam Cooke, Ben E. King and so many other of those classic R&B artists of the late 50s and early 60s.

Unlike so many other revival movements, like the swing revival of the late 90s of the rockabilly era of the 1980s that attempted to reinvent a genre from the past, Hunter is a purist. His sound is authentic and songs like Carina or Hand It Over could have been recorded in 1958 and topped the charts then.

What most interesting about a sound that harkens back 4 decades is that this album is entirely fresh and vibrant. You have to hand it to the British guitarist to have recorded such a perfect piece of 60s American R&B.

James Hunter’s The Hard Way is available at most music retailers and through iTunes. What are you listening to? E-mail me at Fred@ShopAware.com.