Say the name Steve Hunter to me, and one album will come crashing to the front of my mind, namely 1977’s ‘The Alice Cooper Show’. He and Dick Wagner locked together and helped Alice to produce one of the most memorable live albums of all time, even without the visuals that were missing when I played this to death on vinyl when it came out. Fast forward a year or two, and like most people on the planet, Hunter found himself in lockdown at his home (in Spain), so he did what many other musicians have done and recorded an album. The six songs are all classics, in the jazz and blues style, but here they have been treated with reverence and often slowed down, and while Tony Levin has provided some sumptuous bottom end, the ear is always drawn to Steve’s wife Karen and her wonderful vocals.

This is a languid release, nothing is ever rushed, and Steve wants his wife to always be centre stage and is working on the basis of less is often more, and one cannot comprehend this is the same person who blasted out the riffs to “Billion Dollar Babies”, as his accompaniment is always delicate and refined. He allows Karen to full take centre stage, and her voice is rich and velvety with more than a hint of smoke. It is a perfect late night Summer’s album, sat outside a café with glass of rich red wine and cup of espresso, just watching the world go by. Simply delicious.

Rating: 8/10

Links:
https://www.stevehunter.com/