Jennifer Warnes ‎– The Hunter 180g Impex Records Vinyl

The Hunter’ was released 5 years after her breakthrough with ‘Famous Blue Raincoat’. A TOP 100 LP when first released in 1992, The Hunter’s audiophile credibility is best summed up by Elliot Scheiner’s Grammy nominated recording and mix. It contains the charting single “Rock You Gently,” a sonically dense yet expansive cover of The Waterboy’s classic “The Whole of the Moon,” a soulful Jennifer Warnes/Leonard Cohen composition “Way Down Deep,” Todd Rundgren’s “Pretending to Care” and even a Donald Fagen tune (“Big Noise, New York”). She owns every tune here, backed by a-list session players who ground the songs with solid and unobtrusive authority, letting Jennifer’s peerless interpretive skills bring the soul of every lyric to the forefront. Ms. Warnes uses her voice to serve the lyric and this allows the song to return the favor.

“The follow-up to Warnes’ FBR offers crisp percussion cues, solid bass throughout – but especially during “Way Down Deep” – and a surprise chamber quartet on the title track” – Neil Gader, TAS Guide to Audiophile Demo Disc

Arista (now Sony/BMG) never released The Hunter on vinyl in the U.S. A regular weight LP floated around Europe for a while, but is not noted for exceptional sound or quiet vinyl.

“Remastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering, the sonics are luscious. Warnes has always had an audiophile’s ear and was hands-on with this effort-one of the last from now-defunct Cisco Records. It soars effortlessly, restoring warmth and delicacy, and easily besting the earth-bound but otherwise excellent LP. It’s an example of both an artist in full charge of her powers, and analog art its very best.” – Greg Cahill, The Absolute Sound

Selections:

Side A:
1. Rock You Gently
2. Somewhere, Somebody
3. Big Noise New York
4. True Emotion
5. Pretending To Care
6. The Whole Of The Moon
7. Lights Of Lousianne
8. Way Down Deep
9. The Hunter
10. I Can’t Hide