Ian Hunter wants your vote on hard-rocking new album (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
The Paramount
370 New York Ave., Huntington
Sunday, December 2, $25-$49.50, 8:00
www.ianhunter.com
www.paramountny.com
Hey, if it were legal, perhaps we’d seriously consider voting for Ian Hunter for leader of the free world. “I’m gonna lean on the one percent / when I’m president / No more bargains in the basement / when I’m president,” the Shropshire-born rocker sings on the title track of his latest album, the excellent When I’m President (Slimstyle, August 2012). “Washington — Jefferson — watch out, baby, ’cos here I come / Abraham — Theodore — you’re gonna see my ugly mug up on Mt. Rushmore.” Hunter, who used to live in Waterside Plaza before moving to Connecticut, rants about the state of the world on the new disc, backed by his appropriately named Rant Band, a crack group featuring James Mastro and Mark Bosch on guitar, Paul Page on bass, Andy Burton on keyboards, Steve Holley on drums, and Andy Burton on keyboards, who have been playing with Ian for years now. Lyrically and musically, they reference Hunter’s past as lead singer of 1970s glam rockers Mott the Hoople and as a solo artist, making allusions to such Hunter classics as “All the Way from Memphis” and “All American Alien Boy” as they power through such tracks as the hard-driving “Comfortable (Flyin’ Scottsman),” the bluesy “I Don’t Know What You Want,” the bouncy “Saint,” and the gorgeous “Just the Way You Look Tonight.” Hunter also takes on America’s Wild West history, playing the role of Crazy Horse on “Ta Shunka Witco,” praising Jesse and Frank James on “Saint,” and celebrating Sam Peckinpah’s ultra-violent Western on “Wild Bunch.” Now in his early seventies, Hunter shows no signs of slowing down, continuing to put out consistently solid records every two or three years (such as 2001’s Rant, 2004’s Strings Attached, 2007’s Shrunken Heads, and 2009’s Man Overboard) and playing great live shows highlighting songs from throughout his five-decade career while looking at life as only he can, through his ever-present dark glasses. “I hope you had a good time / hope your time was as good as mine,” he sings on the new album’s closing track. “My, you’re such a beautiful sight / I can’t believe after all of these years / you’re still here and I’m still here.” Curly golden locks and all, Ian Hunter is indeed still here, and he and the Rant Band will be at the Paramount in Huntington on December 2 with another English ex-pat known for his biting lyrics and beautiful ballads, Graham Parker, who has reunited with the Rumour for a new album and tour. It should be more than just another night when these two team up for this one-time-only gig. (Hunter will also be playing February 9-10 at City Winery.)