Van Hunt

1	Dust 4:13
2	Seconds of Pleasure 5:41
3	Hello, Goodbye 4:25
4	Down Here in Hell (With You) 4:50
5	What Can I Say 4:45
6	Anything (To Get Your Attention) 3:29
7	Highlights 5:34
8	Precious 4:30
9	Her December 4:16
10	Hold My Hand 3:50
11	Who Will Love Me in Winter 4:15
12	Out of the Sky 5:10

Barnes & Noble

In an era where hip-hop continues to bling-bling itself into rhetoric-fueled self-destruction and neo-soul's worship at the altar of Al Green and Donny Hathaway has become uninspired, it's refreshing to hear an African-American artist who pays homage to his musical inspirations but isn't afraid to break new ground. In the vein of Prince -- well, when Prince mattered -- Atlanta singer-songwriter Van Hunt draws from the soul, funk, and rock hybrids of the Purple One, as well as Curtis Mayfield and Sly Stone, on his eponymous debut. But what really makes Van Hunt a standout among his peers is his quirky, angst-filled lyrics. On the new wave–tinged "Dust," highlighted by a stripped-down synth, drum, and bass arrangement and ska guitar riffs, he sings, "I'm already insane / I'm already in pain." But what do you expect from a guy who proclaims his father was a "part-time painter and pimp" who faked mental illness to escape life's daily grind? He quickly shifts gears, letting his mellow tenor shine through on the bluesy and by comparison euphoric "Seconds of Pleasure." But for Van Hunt, pleasure can only be followed closely by pain, and the twisted love song "Down Here in Hell (With You)" finds the sadistic lover man asking, "What would I do if we were perfect? / Where would I go for disappointment? / Words without hate would leave me with nothing else to say." By walking a lyrical tightrope between the bitter and the sweet, Van Hunt entangles listeners in his fascinating musical tapestry. Contemporary soul rarely hurts this good. Tracy E. Hopkins

All Music Guide

With too much "rhythm" and not enough "blues", contemporary R&B circa 2004 has become overly slick, commercial, and almost emotionless, no matter how hard the vocalist is expressing his love jones. Which is why Van Hunt's debut is so refreshing. Although the Atlanta-based auteur (he wrote or co-wrote all the songs and plays nearly every instrument) clearly has an early-'70s fixation, his heady mix of Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Sly Stone, and Prince makes for a thrilling and often moving album. Like Stevie Wonder, another obvious influence, Hunt spices his soul with memorable melodies, overdubbing his own backing vocals and singing these hip-hop-free tunes like he's lived them. Lyrically, he's loved and lost -- often he seems on the verge of both when he croons "love without pain would leave me wonderin' why I stay" -- but remains hopeful that true romance is just over the horizon. His vulnerable vocals mesh flawlessly with the smoky musical vibe and each track is near perfect in its balance of funk, soul, and R&B. Not just for those into "quiet storm" bedroom music, Hunt has fashioned a classic R&B album that has as many edgy "Family Affair" moments ("Anything (To Get Your Attention)") as smooth grooves (the string-laden "Precious"). If it had been released in 1978, it would still be impressive. But arriving in early 2004, the disc heralds Hunt as a tremendously talented if hardly groundbreaking artist, with a sure sense of craftsmanship all too rare in his genre. Retro enough to recall the golden age of soul, Hunt's music is so classy and timelessly constructed that he never turns into a caricature. Hal Horowitz

Spin Magazine

Full of sublimely janky '80s synths and melodies that jab and slide instead of blowing neo-soul smoke rings. [B+]

Entertainment Weekly

Van Hunt's debut, while more lush and original than recent offerings from retro-obsessed peers like Musiq or Donnie, rings refreshingly dark and disturbing. [A] Neil Drumming

Blender

Van Hunt has a gliding falsetto that reaches Marvin Gaye's heights, Terence Trent D'Arby's taste for melodrama and a touch of Jamiroquai's utopianism. Tom Moon