Ian Hunter
Man Overboard

To look at him, Ian Hunter doesn't look like the seventy years he's celebrating this year. A life dedicated to music, marked by many highs, especially in the seventies, and quite a few lows, where did he lose the eighties? Hunter belongs to the category of artists who improve over time, living a second or third phase of their career at unexpectedly high levels of popularity.

It’s unnecessary to dwell on the MOTT THE HOOPLE years, a band that undoubtedly deserved more glory, especially posthumously. Yes, they will be eternally remembered for All the young dudes, but a deeper knowledge of their discography is deserved...

Hunter, having left Hoople, managed to build a respectable solo career, but only in the past five years does he seem to have found the right path for channeling his artistic vein. This "Man Overboard" follows just two years after the previous "Shrunken Heads", both produced by Andy York, former guitarist for Mellencamp and Willie Nile, giving Hunter's sound that Folkish vein that suits his stunning voice so well.

Previewed by a decent cover, which is sometimes nice, the new album abandons the more pronounced electricity of the previous one in favor of ballads with a strong American flavor, approaching in some cases Dylan, the same Mellencamp, or the more Folk Springsteen, just like in the opening The Great Escape, which could easily be an outtake from Springsteen's Seeger Sessions. The use of traditional instruments like banjo and mandolin does the rest.

The title track Man Overboard is the song we've been waiting for from Dylan, for too many years. Hunter, accompanied by the initial harmonica, develops a piece that, if written by the bard from Duluth, would become a new classic. Simply a ballad worthy of ten out of ten, though I would have eliminated the final orchestrations. Girl from the office, opens like another folk-country song and then develops into a Beatlesque chorus that brings a smile to your face.

These Feelings, opens with almost tribal percussion, reminiscent of something by Paul Simon. Pianistic ballads include River Of Tears and the beautiful Win it all with its buildup, sung with great expression by Hunter's stunning, unique voice. More rock and electric are Arms and Legs, although too mainstream for my taste, and Up and Running, almost southern rock, where Jack Petruzzelli’s, James Mastro’s, and Mark Bosch’s electric guitars finally make themselves heard. Special mention for Babylon Blues, supported by a good slide sound, pure Americana.

In short, with this album, Ian Hunter powerfully approaches the American sound, threatening the likes of Springsteen, Petty, Mellencamp, Earle, and the beloved Dylan. He has the qualifications to play the match at least on equal terms: a unique voice, guitar playing that's no less, and songwriting that is now on par with those mentioned above. A nice push is what's missing... surely speaking like this about a seventy-year-old is nothing but a merit.

Try again, Ian...