If On the Jungle Floor was the funky, rocker side of Van Hunt, then his latest set, Popular, is his soulful and, at times, country side.Popular picks up right where Jungle left off with "Turn My TV On." In fact, the set as whole feels a lot like his sophomore album, only softer, and Hunt is at his best at Popular's softest points where "Break Down Ur Door" simply feels good to the soul, as does "N the Southern Shade" which features a strumming guitar. In the latter, Hunt sings in his trademark voice about the sight, sounds and simplicity of the country life. Of course, he continues to eloquently capture the melancholy of an ending love on "There's Never a G'time 2 Say G'Bye," and even gets a little provocative on "The Lowest 1 of My Desires."
In 2004, Hunt's self-titled debut album solidified him as true & new force in music. Fusing R&B, soul, funk and pop, Hunt pushed the musical envelope with poetic lyrics and compelling instrumentality, conjuring artists from the days of soul music, particularly Curtis Mayfield, and standing out in the crowd as a result. Doing all of this while still putting his own stamp on his own music by, amongst other things, writing his songs with purpose and conviction, Hunt proved that he could do his thing and do it quite well. And now with Popular, he's done it again. ****4.5/5
