On James Hunter’s recent Whatever It Takes (Daptone) a brief liner note by pianist Sam Boncon delivers some straight talk that might seem like a dis in most contexts: “there’s nothing new here.” Indeed, not only does the album sound of a piece with his last four, it remains easy to think that the British soul devotee made this collection six decades ago; he elegantly collides influences like Ray Charles, Curtis Mayfield, Sam Cooke, and Freddie King for a rippling old-school R&B record that crackles with ease and concision. The mono recording fits neatly into the Daptone aesthetic—even if its sources are rooted further in the past than those of label staples such as Sharon Jones and Charles Bradley—and Bosco Mann (aka Gabriel Roth) expertly produced the record with the imprint’s typical clarity and punch.…
On James Hunter’s recent Whatever It Takes (Daptone) a brief liner note by pianist Sam Boncon delivers some straight talk that might seem like a dis in most contexts: “there’s nothing new here.” Indeed, not only does the album sound of a piece with his last four, it remains easy to think that the British soul devotee made this collection six decades ago; he elegantly collides influences like Ray Charles, Curtis Mayfield, Sam Cooke, and Freddie King for a rippling old-school R&B record that crackles with ease and concision. The mono recording fits neatly into the Daptone aesthetic—even if its sources are rooted further in the past than those of label staples such as Sharon Jones and Charles Bradley—and Bosco Mann (aka Gabriel Roth) expertly produced the record with the imprint’s typical clarity and punch.…