Whatever It Takes (LP)


The James Hunter Six

Vinyl
Currently Unavailable
$20.98
SHIPS FREE in U.S.

Amoeba Review

09/07/2020

At this point, if you see a Daptone Records label on the cover, you know you're in for a treat. Between Charles Bradley, Sharon Jones, The Budos Band, and Antibalas, Daptone has dominated the vintage R&B sound that takes you back to a pre-synthesized era. James Hunter's second album for Daptone beautifully blends a bit of ska, some early rock 'n roll, and power house vocals for an album that's fiery and emotional, but tamed by the beautifully under-polished production that makes it feel organic and real. Whatever It Takes passes by with its brisk speed and ten-track list, but it's all that it needs to leave an lasting impact. Nothing feels superfluous as each track is sharp and direct with gorgeous harmonies and catchy melodies with some real musicianship that recalls the best studio musicians of the '60s. But the real highlight is James Hunter himself whose voice is masculine and rough, but sings with such grace and precision that you would almost never figure it was recorded today. The way he harmonizes and hits those notes is the anti-thesis of the computer precise R&B vocal style of today. It displays the wear and tear of his voice to give it each song a character sorely missing from most anemic pop tunes. Opener "I Don't Wanna Be Without you" is clean, simple and romantic. Instantly noticeable is the bouncy organ taken right out of a Walter Wanderley instrumental from the '60s. It compliments his unique voice a la Al Kooper's organ on Bob Dylan's most iconic songs, but with more harmonious finesse and sensitivity. Even the clinking castanets feel nostalgic and channel the early-60s wave of Spanish influenced R&B hits like "Spanish Harlem" and "Under the Boardwalk." "Whatever It Takes" is classic dancehall with its reggae rhythm and slack attitude. The piano is freewheeling and Hunter's voice swings around with a type of ease that feels unrehearsed and totally natural. It's so bouncy and breezy that it can set the perfect mood with just one listen. "I Got Eyes'" frenzied energy is the other side of the spectrum. Working off a similar beat and rhythm to Archie Bell & the Drell's iconic funk single, "Tighten Up," it builds up around a super simple riff to build a blast. The ending also gives Hunter a chance to channel James Brown with some powerful "yeahs" that have a higher impact than the other comparatively mellower tracks. With all the current analog nostalgia, there's few records coming out that capture that warm, fuzzy feeling of digging in old record shelves the way James Hunter captures it.



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