British soul band the James Hunter Six are well known for their smooth, gritty style of music based on American Soul of the 1960s, but they do more than mimic the tropes. Lead singer Hunter infectiously inhabits the deep emotional roots of the past and brings it to the present through his storytelling chops and leather-throated vocals. The rest of the ensemble keep the tempo churning with honking horns, pounding bass, percussion beats, and sneaky keyboard and guitar licks.
This year marks Hunter’s 40th anniversary in his recording career. He’s made almost a dozen full-length albums. This new one is his sixth with the James Hunter Six (Hunter – vocals, guitar, harmonica; Myles Weeks – double bass; Rudy Albin Petschauer – drums; Andrew Kingslow – keyboards, percussion; Michael Buckley – baritone saxophone; Drew Vanderwinckel – tenor saxophone). They are an established entity with a solid fan base—including the enthusiast Van Morrison, who sings on one cut—and a recognizable sound. Anyone who enjoyed the group’s past albums is sure to like this one.
That doesn’t mean the James Hunter Six repeat themselves. The 12 new self-penned tracks demonstrate that the group have found their niche and discovered how to exploit the groove. In comparison, think of an act like Creedence Clearwater Revival. One can recognize its personality within the first 30 seconds of a track, even if one never heard the song before. While there are vast differences between say “Proud Mary” and “Lookin’ Out My Backdoor”, they are both quickly identifiable as CCR.
In terms of the James Hunter Six, some of this is the result of producer Bosco Mann (aka Gabriel Roth). He produced the group’s last five albums during the past 13 years for Daptone Records and this new one for Dan Auerbach‘s Easy Eye Sound label. Auerbach mixed the record with the help of M. Allen Parker and Jonny Ullman at Easy Eye Sound Studios. Roth and Auerbach have similar sonic sensibilities. They make records that sound like past classics in instrumentation and vibe with a modern sheen. Listening to Off the Fence is like discovering a pile of old 45s from a forgotten jukebox at a roadside bar. Everything is familiar in a forgotten way.
Consider slow burners like “Let Me Out of This Love”, “Here and Now”, and “Particular”. Hunter and company offer the blues with a wink and a nod. The tunes are familiar, but the lyrics suggest interpretations different from what one might expect. “It’s a lovely day,” Hunter begins the cut “Particular” with suggestions of Bill Withers‘ classic song. Then Hunter pauses for a second and changes the mood without vocal affectations. “…if you are not particular. It’s a lovely day if you couldn’t care less. Apart from the cold and the fair-wilted flowers. If you lowered your standards for 24 hours.” The lyrics are humorous yet suggest the hurt is more profound than one might expect. All one can do is laugh and cry.
The more rollicking numbers, such as “A Sure Thing”, “Gun Shy”, and “Ain’t That a Trip” employ that same sense of fun in a self-deprecating way. Van Morrison’s vocal assist on “Trip” helps convey the feeling of human shortcomings in matters of the heart. And ain’t it funny to watch someone fall. When it comes to matters of the heart, love is just another banana peel.
All 12 tracks have their individual charms and work as separate gems. This is not a concept album, but there is a uniformity to it, rooted in Hunter’s distinctive voice and droll, earnest comic tone. He sings about having a bowl of cherry stones because someone got to eat the fruit first; someone should contact Ripley because, believe it or not, he’s a loser once again, and he doesn’t need to find trouble because it comes to him regularly. As the album title suggests, he may no longer be on the fence, but one can guess he landed on the wrong side once again, and we listeners are better off for it.