‘Defiance’ completely describes Ian Hunter as he approaches his eighty fifth birthday. Initially towards the growing old procedure that presentations no signal of eroding his chops, spirit or the eloquently poetic but laceratingly confrontational spark that positioned him a number of the UK’s greatest songwriters over 50 years in the past. It is also towards being stigmatised as a nostalgia act, when he’s all the time decidedly extra involved in making his subsequent album than repackaging previous ones.
Defiance Section 1 arrived in April ’23 as an uncontrived variety from the prolific composing spree Hunter launched into all the way through 2020’s covid lockdown, songs farmed out for house embellishment through a hefty roll name beginning with Ringo and Jeff Beck. Transcending perilous star-guest syndrome whilst protecting the temper buoyant for determined instances, it attracted the most efficient critiques of his seven-decade occupation, maximum praising his songs and performances.
Hunter says he stored “the little extra severe” stuff for Section 2; “My tackle what’s occurring” together with wars, political turmoil, crime and climate, in any other compelling confirmation of his irrepressible muse and distinctive status in rock.
Aided through co-producer Andy York and the telepathic Rant Band, Defiance Section 2: Fiction boasts any other flotilla of unobtrusive visitors, together with Beck and Taylor Hawkins taking part in ultimate periods, Mott keyboard participant Morgan Fisher, Brian Might and various contributors of Reasonable Trick and Def Leppard, plus Lucinda Williams enabling Hunter’s first recorded duet.
An old-school 10 tracks come with a number of melody-enhanced rockers seeking to make sense of recent lifestyles, together with hook-laden Folks, Might-festooned Treasured, uproarious Everyone’s Loopy However Me, and infectious Fiction pumped through Fisher’s piano and garnished with strings. Gradual-grind legalisation-call Weed and menacing antipollution Kettle Of Fish rail and reason why via his voice of revel in. The ones trademark intimate ballads shine once more on startling subway tragedy The 3rd Rail, Beck uncurling dramatic punctuation, and What Would I Do With out You reaffirming Hunter’s love for spouse Trudi with Williams’s counter vocal, ultimate the set with Hope’s widescreen optimism.
When this author first met Hunter he had simply commenced harnessing his Tin Pan Alley songwriting apprenticeship to Mott The Hoople. That he’s nonetheless honing his craft 55 years later and already speaking about Defiance Section 3 is reasonably outstanding. As Hunter himself broadcasts on This Ain’t Rock And Roll: ‘They don’t make ’em like that to any extent further.’
