Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter/producer Van Hunt makes his long awaited return this week with the online premiere of "June," his first new music in more than three years. The track is currently available as a free download via The Huffington Post, which you can download by clicking the link below:
Free Download: "June"
"June" heralds the hugely anticipated release of Hunt's extraordinary new album, What Were You Hoping For? . The album - a joint venture between the Nashville-based Thirty Tigers and Hunt's own label, godless-hotspot - arrives in stores and at all digital retailers on September 27th.
"'June' was written to mirror a person's complicated moodiness," Hunt says. "Some people are called pessimists because of their persistent dourness - but I think they are optimists. Sorely disappointed optimists. The song is my attempt to make one, in particular, smile."
Hunt will unveil a series of new tracks each month leading up to release of What Were You Hoping For? with free downloads available at a range of blogs and music websites. Among them will be the album's first single, "Eyes Like Pearls," which will impact multi-format radio outlets nationwide later this summer. In addition, free downloads will be available at Hunt's newly relaunched official website, www.vanhunt.com.
Furthermore, the Los Angeles-based Hunt and his crack band plan to hit the road in the weeks surrounding the album's release, marking his first national tour since 2008. A full itinerary will be announced shortly.
Van Hunt first fell in thrall to the power of music from an early age, taking inspiration from a remarkable range of musicians and composers, spanning J.S. Bach to David Bowie, Thelonious Monk to Curtis Mayfield, Iggy Pop to The Isley Brothers. The Dayton, Ohio-born musician soon made his way to Atlanta, where he drew acclaim for his creative production efforts and crafty songwriting, featured on recordings by such diverse artists as Dionne Farris, Joi, Rahsaan Patterson, and Cree Summer. His own self-titled debut album arrived in 2004, instantly establishing Hunt as a distinctive and original talent with its idiosyncratic melding of R&B, neo-soul, funk, pop, and rock 'n' roll. The equally inventive On The Jungle Floor followed two years later, highlighted by the single, "Character" as well as by a surprising cover of Iggy Pop & James Williamson's Kill City classic, "No Sense Of Crime."
In 2007, Hunt received a Grammy Award for "Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals," honoring "Family Affair," a collaboration with John Legend and Joss Stone found on the 2006 Sly & The Family Stone tribute album, Different Strokes For Different Folks. Hunt had previously received a 2005 "Best Urban/Alternative Performance" Grammy nomination for his breakthrough hit single, "Dust."
Hunt's third album, Popular, was slated for 2008 but remains officially unreleased. Nevertheless, the album has become an underground sensation, a classic lost album hailed by LA Weekly as "a left-field stunner" for its "trippy fusion of funk grooves, punk guitar and soul vocals." In 2009, Hunt liberated a collection of B-sides, demos, remixes, and other rarities on the self-released collection, Use In Case Of Emergency (Rare Items From The Vault).
A charismatic and engaging live performer, Hunt also attracted critical praise touring both as headliner as well as alongside such diverse acts as Kanye West, The Roots, Coldplay, Mary J. Blige, Seal and Dave Matthews Band.
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