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

James Hunter previews new album for Easy Eye Sound with "A Sure Thing"

UK soul singer James Hunter is releasing "Off The Fence" on January 16. Listen to his Impressions-style swinger "A Sure Thing"

Here's the scoop from Easy Eye Sound HQ...

The James Hunter Six returns with their first Easy Eye Sound release, “A Sure Thing,” from the brand new album ‘Off The Fence’ available January 16, 2026. Streaming everywhere now: https://ees.ffm.to/tjhs_asurething

British singer-songwriter and GRAMMY-nominated James Hunter has been a legendary fixture within the scene for over three decades with his gritty voice and sharp songwriting earning him acclaim around the world. MOJO previously named him “United Kingdom’s Greatest Soul Singer.” Listen to the new song and pre-order ‘Off The Fence’ on vinyl & CD now: https://ees.ffm.to/tjhs_offthefence

Leon Dinero vs. James Hunter

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

James Hunter returns with Whatever It Takes in February

A permanent fixture in the world of Rhythm and Soul, James Hunter follows up five critically acclaimed albums with Whatever It Takes for Daptone Records. At the height of his famed recording career, Hunter and Daptone co-founder and producer Gabe "Bosco Mann" Roth recorded an elegantly crafted collection of 10 originals that are evermore poignant and compelling than the singer’s previous works.

The James Hunter Six and Roth recorded Whatever It Takes straight to tape at Daptone's Penrose Studios in Riverside, California – where Roth cut Hunter's 2013 album Minute By Minute. Whatever It Takes will be internationally released on February 2, 2018. Digital Pre-Order available right here - stay tuned for physical pre-order announcement!

James Hunter gets personal with the video for Something's Calling

"Something's Calling" is off the James Hunter Six's fantastic Hold On! album for Daptone out now.

The video for Something's Calling is actually a compilation of shots from throughout the past few years of James Hunter’s life. “The first and last shots of the band were taken in a church hall on Lower Boston Rd. in Hanwell. It was intended as a video for the song ‘Gold Mine,’” he explains.

George Street, Colechester 1963

“Next are some shots of Colchester Castle Park. The castle was built by Normans from Roman masonry (Colchester was the first British suburb of Rome). Just this side of the bit of Roman wall where the willow appears was the site of a punch-up my father and I had with some drunken youths in 1992.

"The ringleader attacked me with a broken bottle and I adjusted the shape of his nose, resulting in arrest for all of us. My assailant was given the choice of jail time or paying me £100 compensation. He opted for prison just to spite me.” Watch the clip for Something's Calling off the latest James Hunter Six album Hold On! (Daptone Records) below.

See the James Hunter Six @ The Horseshoe tonight

James Hunter's new Minute By Minute album, produced by Daptone's Gabe Roth, is his best yet.

James Hunter gets the Daptone touch