The Hard Way : James Hunter : Review : Rolling Stone

James Hunter hails from Colchester, England, but he has American soul running through his blood. A former railroad construction worker who's been championed by Van Morrison, Hunter pays tribute to horn-powered Motown gems and string-laden Philly soul on his second full-length. Producer Liam Watson, the man who mixed and engineered the White Stripes' Elephant, recorded Hunter's six-piece band live on an 8-track tape recorder, with vintage amps and mikes, to achieve a sound that could pass for mono. New Orleans R&B legend Allen Toussaint plays keys and sings backup on three songs, including the swinging opener "The Hard Way," but he never overshadows Hunter's cracked croon. Hunter is an avowed Sam Cooke fan, and on tracks like "Tell Her," he sounds like a dead ringer for his idol, calmly crooning over a melody that recalls Cooke's "You Send Me." The album's highlight is the jazzy horn rave-up "Don't Do Me No Favours," where Hunter cackles, yelps, shouts and bellows about refusing to take handouts from a rich man. On cuts like these, Hunter proves he's more than just a retro-soul act — the guy's got fire in his gut.