James Hunter "Kick It Around" 1999

James Hunter first appeared on Britain's blue-eyed soul scene as Cry Wilf! back in 1986, with gritty, smokin' covers of blues classics such as Boom Boom and R&B covers of Ike Turner, Barbara Lewis, and Willie Dixon. On his first Ace solo album ...Believe What I Say, released in 1996, Hunter had found a more polished, smooth soul sound reminiscent of Otis Redding and Sam Cooke, with many original songs such as the ballad Believe What I Say and uptempo jam Two Can Play and the gospel-inspired Let Me Know and Hear Me Calling......On his second solo album Kick It Around, published on Germany's RUF Records, Hunter again relies on his solid band and tight songwriting skills to produce a short but sweet miracle of retro songwriting. Too many modern artists attempt to channel the golden age of soul and R&B but too often come off as uninspired, or worse, as a cliche. Hunter has the rare ability to capture the lyrics, studio sound, horn sections, and jivin' guitar, resulting in nuanced recordings that sound like they've been transported directly from the 1960s. As with his first solo album, Hunter has produced another original album full of memorable soft ballads such as Mollena, It's Easy to Say, and Tell Her for Me, as well as a stellar cover of Clyde McPhatter's Lover's Question that threatens to upstage the original. Better Luck Next Time is a hilarious tribute to Roy C.'s Shotgun Wedding. There's also a tight James Brown-inspired instrumental on the rockin' Night Bus, a nod to James's Night Train.
Four of the songs on Kick It Around were revived on People Gonna Talkfrom 2006 (It's Easy To Say, Kick It Around, Mollena, and Tell Her For Me), which is a good thing considering that Kick It Around is currently out of print. It's a mystery to me why Lover's Question wasn't given similar treatment, and I'm glad that I managed to track down a new copy of Kick It Around. Fans of Hunter's other albums Believe What I Say and People Gonna Talk can expect more of the same awesome instrumentals, great guitar riffs from Hunter, and satin-smooth vocals that will transport you back in time.(The Guardian)
True, this record is very derivative of late-'50s R&B on the verge of soul. Yet very few people reviving this style several decades after its peak have done it as well, and in as natural and unforced a fashion, as Hunter does on this album. As a vocalist, his reference points are the suave R&B-soul crossover greats Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, and Bobby Blue Bland, perhaps with a bit of Clyde McPhatter (McPhatter's hit "Lover's Question" is one of only two covers on the CD). There's some Georgie Fame, too, in the subtle jazz shadings to both the singing and the songwriting. The songs, too, are smooth but urgent numbers that benefit from smoky saxes and some of Hunter's own stinging guitar. There are many R&B revivalists, and Hunter has several legs up on them: He's a genuinely good, assured soul singer who can pen facsimiles of the old classic sounds that are enjoyable in their own right, and he and his backing players understate rather than overstate. It sounds simple, but not many pull it off.  (This CD is now out of print and sells for over $50) - Richie Unterberger, Allmusictrax:
01 Kick It Around 02 Because You're Mine 03 Mollena 04 It's Easy to Say 05 Lover's Question 06 Better Luck Next Time 07 Strange But True 08 Dearest 09 Believe Me Baby 10 Lover's Prayer 11 Night Bus 12 Tell Her for Me
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