The James Hunter Six's brand of soul makes use of harmonies that are simultaneously reminiscent of 1960s surf pop and Motown girl groups, but by no means are they bubblegum. Lead singer and guitarist James Hunter's voice is more of a croon than a growl, and it adds a gruffness to the Six's music that interrupts the analog smooth of golden oldies from materializing in their music. The result is a new, English spin on the classic soul and funk sound of a bygone era, managing to keep it alive outside of nostalgic roadside memorabilia and “good old days” Top 40 oldies radio stations. They are part of a body of evidence that classic soul music still has a pulse. Expect to feel that pulse through the walls of the Lobero Theatre, its only soul music concert scheduled for the rest of the year, starting at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 24, when The James Hunter Six make their way to Santa Barbara.
What is left of that era is imprinted on the Six's instrumental flourishes on the saxophone, organ, and sometimes even harmonica, in addition to Hunter's vocals. Some of the songs on the band's newest release, Hold On!, have the band wearing the influence of ragtime piano on their sleeve, thanks to the talents of keyboard player Andrew Kingslow. In the recent resurgence of roots influences in mainstream rock music, say the blues-rock of The Black Keys or the gospel tinge of singer/songwriter Hozier, there's been a shortage of songs that take on the loose energy of ragtime like The James Hunter Six. The album was also coproduced by Gabriel Roth, cofounder of Daptone Records, to which the Six are signed.
Roth has lent his talents to other Daptone artists, such as Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Charles Bradley, and the Budos Band. Much of the label's repertoire consists of soul, funk, and afrobeat bands from New York City and the surrounding area. It possesses a purist ethos augmented by artists tempered by age and experience, proving that consistent hard work can sustain a career in a field often considered a young person’s game. The James Hunter Six is the only British band on the Daptone roster, but they sound so American they might as well have been making jukebox rotations since the mid-’50s.