The last few years have seen Robert J. Hunter and his band not just gigging relentlessly (including a recent successful trip to Spain and some upcoming gigs even further afield) but also releasing a steady stream of records that have each built on the last.

Rather than a new album, 2019 has begun with a couple of singles, no doubt hinting at more to come, in the form of Good People (released to coincide with their Spanish tour) and then Hurricane.

While in a way more mellow and groovy than their past releases Good People still packs a bluesy punch and is certainly still led by Hunter’s powerful guitar and vocals which contain a controlled force that is more balanced than ever.

Beyond that the whole thing has a more crossover feel, with not just a more positive vibe but a richer instrumentation with organ added in behind the bass of James Le Huray and drums of Greg Sheffield.

That said the blues that is their bread and butter is still firmly in place, particularly with a great harmonica solo.

Good People then sees The Robert J. Hunter Band take another step forward musically and, to me at least, it sounds like a step toward an even wider audience with touches of real life rubbing shoulders with classic blues tropes and a wider world outlook that is universal.

Hurricane meanwhile is, for long time fans, something of a blast from the past that directly shows how Hunter and his band have grown over the years.

If you’ve been following him since his original solo debut EP The Solemn Days Of Summer or his formative blues rock band Twelve Ton Trouble, or you’ve seen Rob and his current band live more recently, then this will be a familiar song as it’s one that’s been part of his repertoire for a long time.

Here though we are presented with what looks and sounds like the definitive version.

As with Good People it comes with a new, meatier, thicker sound with extra instrumentation and, while it’s not for me to guess the songs emotional origin for Rob, he again brings a new power and depth to his vocal delivery.

From the opening, that feels like the titular weather formation building on the horizon through the form of Sheffield’s rumbling drums, Hurricane comes on strong with a controlled power that grows as it reaches a blazing guitar solo into a real (excuse the pun) whirlwind blast of a track marrying its comparatively naive origins with what Rob and the band have become in recent times.

This all helps restate Hurricane’s place as one of the highlight tracks in a back catalogue that began all the way back in Alderney the better part of a decade ago and continues with his upcoming debut shows on the other side of the Atlantic in New York and Nashville later this month.