James Hunter possesses an iconic, reedy tenor voice and signature phrasing, and is regarded as one of the finest blue-eyed soul singers to emerge from the 20th century. Hunter's recordings feature rhythm & blues in the style of the 1950s, pitched between R&B, early rock & roll, and early soul. His 1994 solo debut, ...Believe What I Say, included guest appearances by Doris Troy and Van Morrison. Hunter also appeared on some of Morrison's mid-'90s albums. Further, he is a skilled guitarist and songwriter as evidenced by 2001's Kick It Around, and 2008's The Hard Way. He enlisted Daptone's Gabriel Roth to produce for 2013's Minute by Minute and signed to the producer's Daptone label for 2016's Hold On! 2018's Whatever It Takes was inspired by Hunter's recent marriage and was followed by 2020's Nick of Time, an exercise in vintage dance rhythms.