More Reviews... Chicago Sun Times - Spin Control - Feb. 12th BLUES Tom Hunter, "Here I Go Again" (FS Music) ***         Blue-eyed soul-blues singer Tom Hunter infuses his strong baritone with a N'Awlins inflection, but he's actually from a "New York State of Mind," to borrow a phrase from fellow piano man Billy Joel. And why not borrow? Hunter does with the Joel number and nine other tunes out of the dozen on "Here I Go Again," including three from Doc Pomus.         The church-music-trained artist wisely draws on material that suits his talent, including Tom Waits' "New Coat of Paint," Ray Charles' "Drown in My Own Tears" and Sonny Rollins' "Tenor Madness," an instrumental track.         Hunter spent some time in the Navy before settling in Myrtle Beach, S.C. He's currently holding court almost nightly in the clubs of Minneapolis. His road-hardened delivery and tight four-piece band, which features guitarist Jon "Gunner" Gunvaldson, make him a good bet to re-create the studio magic in a live setting. Jeff Johnson Midwest Records Re-cap CROWS FEET TOM HUNTER/Here I Go Again: This guy almost looks like a cabaret singer and I wasn't in a cabaret mood when I was opening the mail. Surprise, he's a dripping with soul, blues belting, white boy that can even bring soul to Billy Joel songs. Clearly in the pocket of making music for adults, this is how Steve Tyrell would sound without the budgets and big labels behind him to tweak and sweeten the project relying on little more than real soul to power the proceedings. Pretty interesting outing that comes at you from leftfield but you won't let it go back there. Blues Bytes Over the past fifteen years, keyboard man Tom Hunter has played with or appeared on recordings by Bill Perry, George Davis, Murali Coryell, Little Sammy Davis, Big John Dickerson, and Bernard Allison. Hunter’s third solo release, Here I Go Again (FS Music), is a lively disc that mixes blues, pop, jazz, and soul standards with a couple of Hunter originals. Hunter is a talented musician, playing piano, Fender Rhodes, and Hammond Organ, and is a robust singer, able to tackle any of the genres he chooses. Any song list that includes three covers of Doc Pomus tunes has to be a strong one, and Hunter selected wisely from that catalog (“I Underestimated You,” “Imitation of Love,” and “The Night Is A Hunter”). Other solid selections include Tom Waits’ “New Coat of Paint,” Ray Charles’ “Drown In My Own Tears,” Spencer Williams’ classic “Basin Street Blues,” and Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind.” Hunter also takes an interesting stab at Sonny Rollins’ “Tenor Madness.” Two original compositions by Hunter, the title cut and “Nothing’s For Free,” stand up well with the standards. The band provides exemplary backing, particularly Jon “Gunnar” Gunvaldson’s jazzy guitar work. There just aren’t enough blues albums out there these days featuring the piano as the lead instrument, but Here I Go Again is ready and able to buck the trend, with some great music covering a broad range of styles.

Track Listing: I Underestimated You; Imitation of Love; Here I Go Again; The Night is a Hunter; New York State of Mind; Ever Since the World Began; New Coat of Paint; Basin Street Blues; Tenor Madness; Nothing’s for Free; Drown in my Own Tears; Layin’ in the Alley. Personnel: Tom Hunter: lead vocals, piano, Fender Rhodes, Hammond organ; Jon “Gunner” Gunvaldson: guitar; Keith Boyles: bass; Rob Stupka: drums; Peter Vircks: tenor saxophone on “New York State of Mind;” Tonya Hughes, Nessy Davis, Latonius Earl: background vocals on “Here I Go Again” and “Drown in My Own Tears.”