"One of the best voices, and best kept secrets, in British R&B and Soul." - Van Morrison
The Frontier Touring Company is pleased to confirm the return of soul maestro James Hunter to Australian shores this October. James charmed audiences at Bluesfest earlier this year, and performed to a rapturous sold out crowd at his first ever headline show in Sydney.
Due to overwhelming demand, James will return for intimate shows in Sydney and Melbourne in support of his critically acclaimed fifth record The Hard Way (out now through Universal). James will perform with his band at all shows.
Drawing from the musical past, James’ vision sees him combine his infectious sound with inventive songwriting, setting him apart from retrograde nostalgia, and capturing the attention of today’s audiences. The Hard Way demonstrates this perfectly, blending old with new, while creating the uniquely fresh sound his fans have grown to love.
The critics have also fallen for James Hunter and The Hard Way unanimously:
Boston Globe: “On one of this year’s smoothest and best discs, Hunter makes The Hard Way go down so easy.”
Paste Magazine: “With analog recording, Hunter’s buttery voice and primitive Les Paul playing and a muscular double-sax section, this follow-up to “People Gonna Talk” re-renders the art of musical seduction even more convincingly than Hunter’s mentor Van Morrison.”
Rolling Stone: “All it took was 10 seconds of listening to ‘The Hard Way’, the title track from Brit soul man James Hunter’s third U.S. album, before we knew the disc was unbelievably awesome.”
Mojo: “He calls his style ‘slavishly copying,’ we know it better as sweet soul.”
Variety: “Taking vocal cues from Sam Cooke and James Brown and wrapping them in the cozy warmth of deep saxophone sounds, James Hunter has revived the soul music of the early 1960s with elan and substance.”
Firmly slated as one of the year’s most promising artists, James Hunter’s Australian performances are sure to be sold out affairs.
FAST FACTS ABOUT JAMES HUNTER:
James Hunter (born October 2, 1962) is a Grammy-nominated English R&B musician and soul singer originally from Colchester, Essex.
After being initially discovered by Van Morrison, Hunter toured with the artist in the early nineties and sang backing vocals on Morrison's 1994 live album, “A Night in San Francisco”, and his 1995 studio recording “Days Like This”.
Hunter's first solo release in the United States, his 2006 breakthrough album “People Gonna Talk”, was nominated for Best Traditional Blues Album of the Year.
James Hunter official website
