The James Hunter Six - Hold On!

The James Hunter Six
Hold On!
2016
Spotify

There really is something soothing about old school soul music that just hits the spot. It could just be nostalgia or something deep down inside of us but hearing a group of nice horns and some harmonizing just feels right. That is where we find the James Hunter Six, a band out of time not effected by the whims of popular music, instead just slugging away at the tunes that make them happy. It's that joy that comes through on Hold On! there is zero angst or drama here just fun old school soul music. The album was recorded in mono to give it that old school feel which is the right choice for a band like this. "Free Your Mind (While You Still Got Time)" really cooks and has that splashy sound that the height of soul music is known for. James Hunter has a great scratchiness to his voice that adds an element of a life lived to each and every one of these tracks. This is a band that has seen some shit and are here to tell you about it, in the most fun way possible. The capturing of the spirit of these old school songs is what is really done well, you can see the smoke and feel rhythm of these tunes being played in some run down club.

However the one thing remains, despite how great these tracks are they are still very derivative. Even though this album was just recorded, it could have happened in 1968 and you really would not know the difference. The James Hunter Six take a journey through the history of soul with one track sounding like James Brown "Free Your Mind" and the next reminiscent of Ray Charles 'Stranded" but since we have volumes of works from these two do they really need to be remade? Is what is old new again eventually? That really is the question The James Hunter Six are asking. Despite the good feeling you get deep down is this album pushing any boundaries? The answer really is what do you enjoy about music and if it is that warmth than this record for you, if it is intellectualizing every second of sound, then perhaps not. My suggestion is to put this on loud, sit back and just enjoy because that is what it is for. You better Hold On! because this train is taking you back....way back.

7.6 out of 10