PHOTOS: RICHIE DOWNS | The only trouble with a stone traditionalist is that you can’t expect much variation of the form album to album. But that’s not a bad thing with James Hunter, who has been dishing out a sharp, tasty neo-soul sound since his first. And now that he’s on Daptone records, he’s found just the right spot for his specific sensibility rather than changing for it.
In his second appearance at the Hamilton night club in DC Tuesday, he and the James Hunter Six may have been 1/3 sick (both Hunter and his keyboardist Kyle Koehler were said to be hit with road colds) but still served up the great sounds with the new material of his new Hold On! fitting in well with the classics fans were glad to hear.
The rasp in Hunter’s voice actually added some grit to his R&B delivery and while his keening high wails weren’t as smooth as they can be, they conveyed a gravelly pain that often served the songs just as well. (As for any cold effect on Koehler, it was negligible; he churned up some fine organ solos nonetheless and kept pace on the rest of the set).
It’s a super tight band, with the baritone sax of Lee Badau and tenor of Damian Hand making for a fine horn section that navigates some songs’ complicated charts or can break apart for individual solos.
Hunter is quite a picker; he made his living as a guitarist for a spell before stepping up to be singing bandleader. Yet he’s not show-offy. Rather, he establishes an effective funky riff and only when contributing an occasional solo does he step up with wilder and louder sonics.
Drummer Jonathan Lee and double bass player Jason Wilson set the tone for the classic-sounding originals, and for the odd classic they’ve revived, such as The 5 Royales’ “Baby Don’t Do It,” which they’ve made quite a showcase.
Some of his originals hone so closely to R&B greats, he admits as much. Hunter said the great Allen Toussaint gave permission for him to bite much of his “Fortune Teller” to create his own “The Gypsy,” which eventually takes on its own course.
The great thing about every song, from bossa nova to rumba to neo-ska, is that none overstays its welcome and all end on a dime. This could be the result of being on the road so long, knowing each other as musicians or just being pros. But it adds an effective punctuation to nearly every tune.
When Hunter was winding up his show, someone called from the back “Can you play one your old ones?” Hunter pulled out the old “People Gonna Talk,” the title track to his 2006 U.S. debut, though they had not rehearsed it. In fact, he began in the wrong key.
“Does that answer your question?” he said cheerily, before starting it anew and getting it all down right.
As Springsteen did at the arena here earlier this month, Hunter eschewed the fuss of the encore rituals; just staying on stage for one more song rather than exiting and re-entering. It made sense from a guy who is just as efficient in his songs.
Opening the show with his own impressive set was Boston’s Jesse Dee, who seems to have grown up with exactly the same set of classic 45s as the headliner. With his own electric guitar prowess (on a hollow body electric), slicked back hair and very versatile voice, he yowled his own set of neo-soul love songs.
What the material lacked in originality over subject matter—breaking up, hanging on, pledging love—it all came delivered in some super soul arrangements with high keening falsettos and the kind of shouts that allowed him to step back from the microphone and still command attention.
The big lack was his own band—he’s got an outfit nearly as sharp as the headliner on his records. Such is the life of opening acts, who often can’t afford to pay backing musicians though it would’ve had more impact. Still, exposing his very similar style to the headliner’s crowd was likely well worth it for him at any price.
JESSE DEE
