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The James Hunter Six returns with their first album on Easy Eye Sound, delivering another dose of timeless rhythm & soul. British singer, songwriter and GRAMMY-nominated James Hunter has been a legendary fixture in the scene for over three decades with his gritty voice and sharp songwriting earning him acclaim around the world. This new record features a rare duet with longtime collaborator Van Morrison (‘Ain’t That A Trip’), marking a full-circle moment for the artist hailed by MOJO magazine as “The United Kingdom’s Greatest Soul Singer.”Set for release January 16th, ‘Off The Fence’ is a landmark album for James Hunter himself for a number of different reasons. In many ways it represents his past, his present and his future.
Featuring twelve self-penned gems, each song is delivered with Hunter’s customary blend of smooth vocal control coupled with heart-worn grit and wit. Today, fans, followers and future devotees get the chance to hear the first single cut from the album with the infectious, twin-horned roll of ‘A Sure Thing’. As the summer weeks come to an end, ‘A Sure Thing’ is the perfect antidote to put a feel-good spring back in your step, shimmering with Northern Soul vibes and Hunter’s renowned lyrical word play.
“I thought the title was a nice phrase and, musically, I was trying to get a bit of Northern Soul in there - which is where we’re trying to appeal to people’s feet. But, lyrically, it’s just a different way of reflecting on somebody saying that they want to play things safe, ”explains James.
“The way I write is what I call the Thesaurus method. I take the salient words describing the subject of the song and try to find as many synonyms for them as I can and then look for stuff to rhyme them with. As annoying as it is to admit it, there’s a lot of work goes into the phrasing, and I make a lot of demos at home to get that side of it right.”
Listen to ‘A Sure Thing’ HERE.
If phrasing is important to Hunter, so too are musical textures. The James Hunter Six – who, alongside James, also include Myles Weeks (double bass), Rudy Albin Petschauer (drums), Andrew Kingslow (keyboards, percussion), Michael Buckley (baritone saxophone) and Drew Vanderwinckel (tenor saxophone) – are masters of their craft and have developed a near-telepathic relationship with their leader. The album is full of examples of their innate understanding of the music and the needs of each song.
On the most basic level, the album marks 40 years since the British soul singer made his recording debut with the release of his first album back in ’86. Equally significant is the appearance of one of his earliest supporters and collaborators, Van Morrison. The pair were introduced back in the early ‘90s and first collaborated on a brace of Van Morrison albums – 1994’s live set, ‘A Night In San Francisco’ and ‘95’s ‘Days Like This’. The following year Van Morrison returned the favour, guesting on James’s album ‘Believe What I Say’, running through a pair of Bobby Bland classics. Three decades on, the legendary 80-year-old Irish singer adds his voice to one of the most joyous tunes on ‘Off The Fence’ – a jump blues blaster entitled ‘Ain’t That A Trip.’
“I tried to get Van to sing one of my songs 30 years ago, but I hadn’t really written anything he fancied at the time,” recalls James. “But we were having a chin wag backstage at a gig where we were opening, and I asked him if he wanted to sing something on our next record and he said yes, so I sent him the track. Hearing him actually singing words I wrote gave me a real kick. It’s brilliant.”
Hunter’s own musical journey started 66 miles from London in Colchester, Essex, where he was born in 1962 as Neil James Huntsman. His life-changing moment came at the age of nine when his grandmother handed him her Dansette record player and a collection of old 78s. Included in that pile of shellac was a copy of Jackie Wilson’s 1958 hook-filled hit, ‘Reet Petite’ – a tune that musically helped transform R&B into soul. It proved equally as transformational as far as young James was concerned, providing him with a gateway to a whole new musical world that seemed a million miles away from 70s Winter of Discontent Essex.
His eleventh studio album, ‘Off The Fence’ is the perfect amalgam of everything that is great about James Hunter’s songwriting, delivery and outlook. It also marks a fresh start. His first release on Dan Auerbach’s (The Black Keys) Easy Eye Sound label, 2026 is going to be a big year for Hunter, striking the world with music that matters. Get ready to ride with The James Hunter Six.
https://www.jameshuntermusic.com/
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