James Hunter shares "Gun Shy" video from new album Off The Fence

James Hunter cut his new album Off The Fence at Daptone's Riverside studio but issued it via Easy Eye Sound. Photos: Jim Herrington

Off The Fence by The James Hunter Six

The James Hunter Six recently shared the music video for the band's lovesick single "Gun Shy" from their new album Off The Fence, out now via Easy Eye Sound. Co-written with singer/guitarist James Hunter and his bandmate Myles Weeks, "Gun Shy" illustrates the tongue-tied feeling of a new crush over a dance-floor-ready groove before ripping into a bluesy sax solo from Michael Buckley. The music video was featured at Relix, who said "Along with the music video’s nature, the song carries a sense of timelessness that might well appeal to Hunter’s 40-year tenure as a high mark of British soul and rhythm & blues." Watch the James Slater-directed video for “Gun Shy” following the Off The Fence track list below. Get a copy of the album via your platform of choice right here: https://ees.ffm.to/tjhs_offthefence. 

Says James Hunter about the new single: "I had heard the phrase 'gun shy' before but didn't know what it meant, although I assumed it had more than a literal application. When Myles Weeks, our bass player, mentioned he had a concept for a song with that title, he outlined the theme as being that of someone being nervously reluctant to declare their romantic intentions. I asked him if he minded if I wrote it, and he graciously said yes. As per my usual 'Thesaurus method' of song-writing, I threw a pile of ballistics-related terms on the table and set about arranging them into verses. Once I'd stuffed them into a spare tune I had lying around, we committed it to tape."

 "Then it was time to make the video," he continues. "One dark December evening, my wife Jessie accompanied me to a studio in a Victorian-era warehouse in Tichborne Street, in the North Laines, Brighton. Our director, James Slater, filmed me prancing about and lip-syncing on a big sheet of paper unfurled from a roller suspended from the ceiling. I had a blast."

Dubbed "The United Kingdom’s Greatest Soul Singer" by MOJO, the British singer, songwriter and Grammy-nominated James Hunter has been a legendary fixture in the scene for over three decades. His eleventh studio album delivers another dose of timeless rhythm & soul and marks 40 years since his recording debut. Featuring twelve self-penned gems, each song is delivered with Hunter’s customary blend of smooth vocal control coupled with heart-worn grit and wit.

From the infectious blues blaster "A Sure Thing" to the beautifully moving "Here And Now" and even a rare duet with his former employer, legendary Irish singer Van Morrison called "Ain't That A Trip," Off The Fence is the perfect amalgam of everything great about Hunter's songwriting, delivery and outlook. He is accompanied by a band of masterful musicians that includes Myles Weeks (double bass), Rudy Albin Petschauer (drums), Andrew Kingslow (keyboards, percussion), Michael Buckley (baritone saxophone) and Drew Vanderwinckel (tenor saxophone).

 James Hunter will be touring in the UK and Europe in early 2026. See a full list of dates below and find more information on his site: jameshuntermusic.com/tour.html

 

James Hunter Six – Off The Fence 

1. Two Birds One Stone

2. Let Me Out Of This Love

3. Gun Shy

4. Believe It When I See It

5. Here And Now

6. Off The Fence

7. Ain’t That A Trip (feat. Van Morrison)

8. One For Ripley

9. Trouble Comes Calling

10. Particular

11. A Sure Thing

12. Only A Fool

LINKS
Medium.com James Hunter chats with Jimmie Soul about Off The Fence

 

The James Hunter Six 2026 European Tour

January 26 – Glasgow, UK @ Òran Mór

January 28 – Newcastle, UK @ The Cluny

January 29 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club

January 30 – Cambridge, UK @ Storey's Field Centre

January 31 – Birmingham, UK @ The Crossing

February 7 – Paris, FR @ New Morning

February 9 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso Tolhuistuin

February 10 – Hamburg, DE @ Knust

February 11 – Berlin, DE @ Hole44

February 13 – Munich, DE @ Ampere

Lee Fields, Monophonics @ Danforth Music Hall, October 8

Soul belter Lee Fields returns to Toronto for a show with the Monophonics next week – get tickets here. Check the clips below.

Antibalas shares "La Ceiba" off new album Hourglass

Check out "La Ceiba" off the forthcoming Antibalas album Hourglass out via Daptone Records on October 24. 

Here's the scoop...

Long overdue and right on time- we are excited and honored to share with you “La Ceiba” - our first single off the new album “Hourglass” and it is a heater.

Like many of our songs- it has multiple meanings. La ceiba is the tree of life to indigenous peoples in both sides of the Atlantic, a portal to connect with spirits and place of shelter and safety. Ceiba is also a town in Puerto Rico where a military installation has just been reactivated after 21 years of dormancy, a clear sign that the task of making peace is an ongoing one.

We hope you dig the song. You can save / preorder the new album right here. Listen to "La Ceiba" below. 

The Womack Sisters make their Daptone debut on August 22

The Womack Sisters – daughters of Cecil & Linda Womack – release their new Daptone single August 22. Check it out.

The Womack Sisters 

"If You Want Me" b/w "I Just Don't Want You (To Say Goodbye)" 

Welcome to the newest member of the Daptone family, The Womack Sisters. They're the granddaughters of the legendary Sam Cooke, daughters of renowned songwriters and producers Cecil and Linda Womack (of Womack & Womack), and nieces of singer-songwriter and R&B icon Bobby Womack.

The debut Daptone single from Soul Music nobility, The Womack Sisters, is a one-two punch of soulful excellence. "If You Want Me" displays uncompromising rawness with pop-sensible control in equal measure. Propelled by the percussive attack of the piano and the hard-hitting call and response vocals, the track has a satisfyingly feel-good swing, allowing the groove to accentuate the hook. Sure to be a universally filed disc for DJs looking to bring some life to the dancefloor.

On "I Just Don’t Want You (To Say Goodbye)," sisters Kucha and Zeimani’s plaintive background vocals and BG’s powerful lead come together like a harmonic bouquet in full bloom. A deeply soulful ballad at its core, it tells a tale of someone coming to terms with the pain of being in love with Mr. Wrong when you know you deserve Mr. Right. 

The Womack Sisters' debut Daptone single is out August 22. You can pre-order it via Rough Trade. For the moment, you can hear both sides right here. Watch Kucha & Zeimani's interview with Tamron Hall from 2023 followed by a video for "Chauffeur," and an audio clip of "If I Let You" below. 

Binky Griptite shares video for bluesy swinger "What's My Number"

Watch Binky Griptite's new clip for his Howlin' Wolf-inspired single "What's My Number" Parts 1 & 2 available from his site. 

From Birth to Binky Griptite

Franklin Stribling is better known as Binky Griptite, guitarist and emcee with The Dap-Kings and a co-founder of The Soul Providers (with Gabriel Roth) which were the Desco Records house band in the days before Daptone. He recalls the years leading up to becoming Binky Griptite in 1999 below. 

Born June 25th 1966 just after midnight at Milwaukee County General Hospital. I'm the youngest of 7 and the 4th boy child thus breaking the tie. I've been listening to music actively since I was 5, so that's 1971. I was raised on a combination of black radio of the time and my older siblings' and mom's record collections, ranging from David's Funkadelic and Deep Purple records to Ann's Three Dog Night and Simon & Garfunkel records, as well as the bands I saw on Soul Train and American Bandstand and Midnight Special. On TV I saw Al Green, James Brown, Bobby Bland, The Edgar Winter Group, The Faces, so many artists. Even Hee Haw! Anything with music and especially guitar players in the shot. 

Like, I remember when "Superstition" was the HOT NEW JAM by Stevie Wonder, stuff like that. Any music that happened after '71 or '72, I got to  experience it in real time and I'm very thankful for that. This is what informs everything that I play. 

My sister Ann's nylon string guitar was always around but the neck was too big for me for a long time so I mostly treated it as a toy until I discovered it made a pretty nice drum if I tapped it with my fingers so I truly started as a drummer. When I was first handed a set of bongos by my first grade music teacher I knew exactly what to do with them, thanks to my experience drumming on the guitar and from watching I Love Lucy. Thank you Ricky Ricardo!

Then my brother Ted showed me how to play Smoke On The Water by Deep Purple because one of his friends showed him. He didn't play guitar either but the beauty of the riff is that anybody can play it! I was 7 when that came out, so I had that to play for a while but I really didn't get on the path to playing til I was 12 or so.

The Funkadelic album Cosmic Slop also came out when I was 7 and has been my favorite record ever since. I wanted to do that, to be that. I decided to be a musician long before I was one. My brother David took me to P Funk shows at Summerfest in Milwaukee starting in '75 I think, and I became a Bootsy fan.

David bought me a bass when I was 11 or so but I had no one to teach me so it laguished for a while and eventually disappeared from the house under mysterious circumstances. I found it in a pawn shop some months later and it was rebought. I took a few lessons and it got stolen again when I set it down at a bus stop  on a cold day. 

It was replaced with an electric guitar. Still without a teacher I was intimidated by the 6 strings and thought bass would be easier so I traded it for a bass. Then I became intimidated by thinking "I'll never be as good as Bootsy so what's the point"

Round about this time I happened to see Devo on the TV show "Friday's" (wannabe SNL by ABC). I fell in love with the guitar Bob Mothersbaugh was playing. It was a brand new looking thing I'd never seen before and I wanted one. I wanted to play be a guitar player and I wanted THAT guitar.

The very next day I went to the music store I frequently loitered in and I found it, they had a cheap knockoff of the sparkly blue Ibanez Iceman that I wanted! The Lotus version was the wrong color and made of plywood but it was as close as I could afford to get to the real thing. It took a few weeks but I musta begged and traded or whatever to get it and it got got. That was the guitar that finally got me started at 14. Now, 42 years later I have a lot of guitars but I still don't have an Iceman.

Check out Binky Griptite's latest single "What's My Number" below. Get a copy from his site right here: Binkygriptite.com 

 

Daptone shares roots reggae gem from Judah Eskender Tafari

Spiritual reggae great Judah Eskender Tafari passed away 4 years ago but his music lives on thanks to Victor Axelrod and Daptone.

Here's The Scoop...

While far from a household name in reggae, Judah Eskender Tafari cultivated a loyal fanbase and respectable catalog during his recording career. This new single, produced by Victor Axelrod, alludes to the Old Testament in a vision of mankind gone astray. Get it right here. Listen below. 

Leon Dinero vs. James Hunter

Leon Dinero puts a sweet rocksteady spin on James Hunter's "Heartbreak" – have a listen to both below. 

That time Edan shot a Poets Of Rhythm promotional clip for Daptone

Back in 2013, Daptone issued a Poets Of Rhythm anthology – get the CD here – and enlisted Edan for a wigged out sales pitch.

Budos Band kicks off post-Daptone era with Morricone-esque "Frontier's Edge"

The Budos Band takes a sharp turn into spaghetti western territory with the Frontier's Edge EP out July 28th via Diamond West. 

Here's the scoop...

After a two-decade run with Daptone Records, Frontier’s Edge is the first new music from the group on the new label, Diamond West Records — run by The Budos’ saxophonist Jared Tankel and guitarist Tom Brenneck. The Budos Band’s departure from Daptone was on good terms; the split from their long-time home base was an organic result of the band’s evolution.

“It’s just a natural growth,” says Brenneck. “We’re going further away from the sound of Daptone and into territory they probably wanted to stay away from. We’re a powerhouse in the studio; we can produce ourselves. I take the helm, but the band, they know what they want.”

As expected from The Budos Band, Frontier’s Edge resists analysis; it represents the band as they are: a contained explosion. You don’t pick apart Frontier’s Edge; you feel it all at once.

“Somehow, we wrote six songs in two days,” says The Budos’ drummer, Brian Profilio. “Tom was able to take what we were doing and put it together in a cohesive manner.”

Whether this is your first rodeo with The Budos Band or you’ve been following them throughout their two-decade run, Frontier’s Edge contains their musical universe — Afrobeat, Ethiopian music, proto-metal, any number of other streams — in microcosm.

You can pre-order a copy of The Budos Band's forthcoming Frontier's Edge EP right here.  Listen to the Morricone-esque title track below. Catch The Budos Band live at Club Soda in Montreal on July 6th since no Toronto date has been announced for their current North American jaunt – see the tour schedule below.

The Budos Band on tour

June 28 – Portland, ME – The State Theater*

June 29 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall*

June 30 – Rochester, NY – Photo City Music Hall

July 1 – Ferndale, MI – Magic Bag

July 2 – Chicago, IL – Salt Shed*

July 3 – St. Paul, MN – The Palace Theater*

July 6 – Montreal, QC – Club Soda

July 7 – Quebec City, QC - Festival D’Ete De Quebec

July 8 – Chicoutimi, QC – La Noce Saguenayl

July 28 – Yuzawa, Niigata Japan – Fuji Rock Festival

August 25 – Port Townsend, WA – The Thing Festival

*Supporting Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade

Lee Fields previews new album with slinky "Two Jobs"

"Two Jobs" is off Lee Fields' forthcoming album Sentimental Fool out Oct 28th via Daptone Records. Give it a listen,, below. 

Lee Fields shares stripped-down performance of new single "Forever"

"Forever" is off Lee Fields' new album Sentimental Fool due Oct. 28th via Daptone. Check out Bryan Ponce's video below.  

Here's the scoop from Daptone HQ...

Lee Fields is arguably the greatest soul singer alive today. In an age when the shelf life of an artist largely depends on posturing and trends, he has proven to be an unassailable force of nature. His prolific, decade-spanning career continues to reign supreme on the modern soul scene.

In early 2022, Lee reunited with Daptone Records and producer Gabriel Roth to record Sentimental Fool, a deep, blues-tinged, wholly-conceived soul album. From his first line to his final plaintive lyric, the beauty, power, and raw humanity of Leeʼs voice is on full display here; the culmination of an astounding career that has seemed to defy gravity, rising to only greater and greater heights. 

You can pre-order a copy of Lee Fields' forthcoming Sentimental Fool album directly from Daptone or your preferred platform right here. Check out a stripped-down performance of "Forever" with support from Menahan Street Band's Thomas Brenneck on guitar and Josh Lane from Thee Sacred Souls.  

 

Michael Rault previews new album with Starsky & Hutch-inspired video

Montreal's Michael Rault's new self-titled album is out June 10th. Check out his "Neither Love Nor Money" clip and an interview.

Here's the scoop...
A remarkable re-imagination of '70s pop perfection, Michael Rault's new eponymous album began to take shape during a time of endings. Michael, on the cusp of turning 30 and freshly off the road promoting 2018's A New Day Tonight, had just ended a romantic relationship, and cut ties with his management and touring band. Returning home to Montreal, he hunkered down in his bedroom studio and began writing. From the drug-fueled, dance floor slow-stepper, "Neither Love Nor Money", to the introspective "Inside Your Heart", to the tongue-in-cheek playfulness of "Champagne", the body of work he created in this epoch of uncertainty is proof of just how crucial that time of endings really was. Michael delivers a lush, timeless collection of songs - continuing his increasingly profound exploration into the worlds of progressive pop, psych folk, yacht rock and beyond. 

You can pre-order Michael Rault's new album via Bandcamp right here. Watch Ryan Baxley's video for "Neither Love Nor Money" followed by Mark Neeley's animated clip for "Exactly What I Needed" and a fairly ho-hum podcast interview. 

Whaddya mean you don't know Innov Gnawa

Daptone is releasing the Lila album by Innov Gnawa, a NYC-based band of Moroccan ex-pats led by Ma'alem Hassan Ben Jaffar.  

Here's the scoop...

Daptone Records is honoured to announce the release of Innov Gnawa's forthcoming full-length, Lila on April 30th. Formed in NYC, this Grammy-nominated group of Moroccan expats has been making waves locally and abroad with their hypnotic live shows. The group is led by Ma'alem Hassan Ben Jaffar, a master musician and spiritual elder of the ensemble who plays a three-stringed African bass known as a “guembri”. Ben Jaffar is accompanied by a brotherhood of musicians – (Amino Belyamani, Ahmed Jeriouda, Samir Langus and Nawfal Atiq) – all playing the qraqebs, metal castanets that represent the shackles and chains of slaves and also singing chorus responses. Gnawa music is a spiritual tradition rooted in Morocco’s ancient history. Often referred to as “Sufi Blues”, Gnawa’s African influence originated from West African slaves brought to Morocco centuries ago. Not unlike blues music in the American South, Gnawa music is revered throughout Morocco as treasured indigenous soul music. 

After seeing a performance at a mutual friend's party, producer and local Gnawa enthusiast, Bosco Mann, invited Innov Gnawa to come record some tracks at The Daptone House of Soul. The invitation was accepted and over a five-hour session, the group tracked an entire albums’ worth of material - all in one take. The session tracked that evening is what we humbly offer up to you, the beloved Daptone Family. "Lila", literally meaning "night" is a traditional ceremony in which the Ma'alem and his qraqeb ensemble dedicate an evening of healing through music. This all-night rhythm fest is a spiritual ritual which cleanses the body, mind, and spirit. We invite you to immerse yourself into Lila. Experience Freedom, Liberation and the power of healing through music. 

You can pre-order Innov Gnawa's Lila album directly from Daptone right here. 

Note: Daptone pre-order includes...

Exclusive 10" featuring two additional songs not available on the LP: "El Ghaba" and "Hamdouchia". 

LPs with "Sahara Dune" colored vinyl.

Both the 10" and color vinyl LPs are limited to 500 worldwide.

Menahan Street Band preview new album with "Queens Highway" & "The Duke"

Both songs are off the forthcoming The Exciting Sounds of The Menahan Street Band out Feb 26th. Check the clips below.

Here's the scoop from Daptone HQ...

Menahan Street Band, a veritable supergroup of some of today's most prolific songwriters, arrangers, and producers return with this beat-forward, cinematic masterpiece. Their unique brand of instrumental soul has not only been the foundation for some of modern hip-hop's most successful beats, it has also become the perennial soundtrack and veritable vibe-generator for countless parties, art shows, and restaurants throughout NYC and abroad. While this album carries the aesthetic torch that MSB has skillfully woven into the tapestry of their DNA, it also delves deeper into the experimental, exotic sounds that fill many of the coveted Sound Library and Soundtrack LPs of the late sixties and early seventies - an amalgamation of moog synths, electric pianos, drum machines, and a bevy of analog instrumentation, that ebb and flow in lush swells of Morriconian grandeur.

 

Out February 26th. Pre-order options include:

• Standard LP & CD

• Vintage Green with off-white splatter colour vinyl LP

• "Midnight Morning" b/w "Stepping Through Shadow" 45 (colour & standard)

• "The Duke" b/w "Stepping Through Shadow" Daptone Shop EXCLUSIVE 45. Will not be available for sale anywhere else.

• MSB T-shirt

Pre-order The Exciting Sounds of The Menahan Street Band via Daptone Records right here. Check out "Queens Highway," "The Duke" and "Midnight Morning" below. 

 

Garage rippin' Ar-Kaics boast new comp, new drummer and new single

The Ar-Kaics are releasing their new Wick label single "To Be Free" on January 8th but their new Ar-Kives comp is out now.

Here's the scoop...

The Ar-Kaics are back with a double shot of their endangered mode of recreational expression / rebellion, and doing it just for Kaics! Recorded at Daptone amid the gloom and decay of the day, “To Be Free” b/w “Easy” (Wick Records) showcase the band's primitive garage sound in two nasty flights of fancy. Wash it down with the fun punch straight from the bowl, and listen for the proto psych and outright punk nonsense a-brewing. With a new drummer in tow, free & easy is the rally cry for their new lease on psych. Communion for heads and seekers alike! 

Hear the Ar-Kaics new "To Be Free" single and pre-order a copy via Daptone right here. 

Check out The Ar-Kaics' overlooked gems "Why Should I?" and "Let Me In" from their new comp Ar-Kives, Volume One: Singles & Unreleased (Dig! Records) below.  
 

Hear The Budos Band's "Haunted Sea" off their new album out today

"Haunted Sea" is off the Budos Bands new album Long In The Tooth available here. 

Sharon Jones vs. Dusty Springfield

Sharon Jones' version of Dusty's "Little By Little" is off her new comp Just Dropped In To See What Condition My Rendition Was In

One For The Weekend: The Budos Band

The Budos Band's latest studio album, Long In The Tooth is out October 9th via Daptone. Check the title track below. 

Here's the scoop...

Marking 15 years from the release of the Budos Band's debut album, Daptone's Royal Court from Staten Island delivers a truly epic collection of new material that finds the group further bridging the gap between the farfisa-fueled Ethio-Funk stylings of their early recordings, with the psychedelic, Sabbath-inspired hellfire of late. Listen to the title track from Long In The Tooth. Pre-order the album and get various Budos Band merchandise right here. 

Tommy "TNT" Brenneck doesn't overthink shit

Guitarist/producer Tommy "TNT" Brenneck gets a big up for his studio savvy on the B-side of the new Menahan Street Band single. 

Menahan Street Band - "There's A New Day Coming" b/w "Tommy Don't"

Originally recorded as a single backing track for Charles Bradley, the tune was ultimately shelved (like many other tracks) after Charles' passing. After some time had gone by the reel made its way back onto the tape machine and producer Tommy "TNT" Brenneck had a eureka moment. He split the track into two sides and wrote some lyrics for the slower portion as a tribute to CB, which became "There's a New Day Coming". He loved the juxtaposition of having the slower, heavy tribute on side A, and the upbeat, lighter track on the flip.

When singers, Saundra Williams (Saun & Starr) & Alecia Chakour showed up for the session TNT played them what was to become "Tommy Don't". While it was playing Saun said "You know why I like working with you, Tommy? Cause you don't overthink shit". And with that Saun started singing "Tommy don't overthink shit." Brenneck started cracking up and said, "We HAVE to record that.". And with that...Voila!...a brand spanking new 45 from the kings of instrumental soul, Menahan Street Band. Get a copy of the new MSB single right here. Listen to both sides below.

Daptone selects soul gems from Helsinki's Timmion label on Bad Education

Bad Education Vol. 1 includes tracks by Nicole Willis, Willie West, Ernie Hawks, Pratt & Moody, Bobby Oroza and others. 

For the better part of 15 years, Helsinki's own Timmion Records has released some of the most exciting soul sides happening today. To help spread the Timmion love, Daptone staffers and brass made a list of their favorite Timmion tracks from the past couple years. Presented here is Bad Education, Vol. I, the culmination of weeks of deliberation and infighting – 10 tracks that best represent the eclectic wealth of soulful riches Timmion Records has to offer. We can only hope that Bad Education Vol 2 will focus on the label's fantastic instrumental backing tracks from the Soul Investigators and Cold Diamond & Mink.
Check the complete tracklisting following a few song clips below and pre-order a copy right here.




Various Artists - Bad Education, Vol 1 – "Soul Hits" of Timmion
1. This Is What Love Looks Like! (Carlton Jumel Smith and Cold Diamond & Mink)
2. Tell Me That You Love Me (Jonny Benavidez and Cold Diamond & Mink)
3. Lost Lost Lost (Pratt & Moody)
4. Paint Me In A Corner (Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators)
5. Scorpio Walk (Ernie Hawks & The Soul Investigators)
6. Until You’re Mine (Wanda Felicia and Cold Diamond & Mink)
7. This Love (Bobby Oroza)
8. Bad Education (Bardo Martinez & The Soul Investigators)
9. Don’t Believe You Like That (Emilia Sisco and Cold Diamond & Mink)
10. I’m Still A Man (Willie West)