Jonathon Rosen Studio
Van Hunt | Popular
Art and Design
Originally intended for release in January 2008,
Popular was pulled from Blue Note’s release schedule in late 2007. In 2016, Hunt re-approached Blue Note (now underneath the Capitol
Music Group, a division of the Universal Music Group) to reconsider
releasing the album. Current Blue Note President Don Was—readily agreed, allowing the album to finally see the
light of day.
Popular’s 14 tracks show the evolution of Hunt’s sound from
his first two albums, an assemblage of funk, rock, soul and all styles
in between that followed in the vein of his primary influences: Prince
and Sly Stone. LA Weekly called the album “a left-field stunner” for its “trippy fusion of funk grooves, punk guitar and soul vocals.”
Photography by Clay Patrick Mcbride