Sometimes life lifts a curtain to give you just enough of a glimpse that you know that it truly exists: Rock 'n' roll heaven, where blues and soul and R&B and gospel all melt into one exhilarating, liberating frenzy. James Hunter's latest tour stop in Philadelphia delivered one such brilliant look.

Hunter prowled the stage with passion and promise, stomping through tunes drawn primarily from his two most recent albums, The Hard Way (also available as an LP) and People Gonna Talk, plus two well-fitting cover versions of '50s R&B hits by The 5 Royales ("Baby Don't Do It" and "Think," famously rendered by Aretha and James Brown). In live performance, the reggae lilt of "Corina" and "People Gonna Talk" pack just a little more bounce, while guitar rave-ups such as "Don't Do Me No Favours" (video) and "She's Got a Way" burn even hotter.

It's not my fault that a guitar player who bashes away in primal spasms of Buddy Holly and Bill Haley, sings with the spirits of Sam Cooke and Ray Charles, and entertains with the energy of Little Richard, sounds too good to be true. (His band kicks ass, too.) All I can do is invite you to discover this truth for yourself. If you believe in rock 'n' roll heaven, hurry to see Hunter in concert. And if you don't believe in rock 'n' roll heaven, you'd better get there even faster than that.

PERMALINK • • RSS