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On the Jungle Floor
Here's something you didn't know about Van Hunt: Randy Jackson is his manager. Which says a lot about the "American Idol" judge's prime-time panning of pitchy would-be Stevie Wonders-- mainly, that he knows what he's talking about. If there is still a neo-soul show to be stolen, Van Hunt, for sure, has made off with it: This sophomore effort, with well-spaced nods to Prince, Curtis Mayfield, and the Isley Brothers, is way weightier than anything Maxwell or D'Angelo ever attempted and every bit as stylish? maybe more so. But what's most surprising is the disc's depth. Van Hunt knows his way around a smooth seduction--look no further than track two, "If I Take You Home (Upon ...)," which earns an A in that category--but he also has a little something to contribute to the modern rock conversation (the Kravitz-esque "Ride, Ride, Ride"), and he won't duck associations with disco ("The Thrill of This Love"), either. Even '80s-revivalism, as demonstrated here by "At the End of a Slow Dance," doesn't prove too great a challenge. Tie it all up with a bow (or, this being Van Hunt, maybe an ascot) and you still get a solidly singular vision. That is the magic of Van Hunt and what makes him, in alt-soul circles, the man. --Tammy La Gorce
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Tracks| 1 | Intro | | 2 | If I Take You Home (Upon...) | | 3 | Hot Stage Lights | | 4 | Daredevil, baby | | 5 | Ride, Ride, Ride | | 6 | Being A Girl | | 7 | Suspicion (She Knows Me Too Well) | | 8 | Mean Sleep | | 9 | Priest Or Police | | 10 | Character | | 11 | Interlude | | 12 | No Sense Of Crime | | 13 | At The End Of A Slow Dance | | 14 | The Thrill Of This Love | | 15 | Hole In My Heart | | 16 | The Night Is Young |
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