The synth vamping (by Jimmy Jam and Monte Moir), electric-guitar rocking (Jesse Johnson) and ever-snappy rhythm-thumping (Terry Lewis, Jellybean Johnson) revisits the paisley Princely past on ditties like "Strawberry Lake" and good life lovin' "LifeStyle" and "Cadillac" (with Day's valet, Jerome Benton, actively involved). And the set achieves nirvana with the don't-ever-stop "Toast to the Party Girl."
TOP THIS: Raphael Saadiq may have thought he'd cornered the market on Motown emulations. But now Ann Arbor, Mich., native Mayer Hawthorne is sure giving him a run for the money on his sophomore set "How Do You Do" (Universal Republic, A-). Just try not to get all Smokey'd up and full of Temptations, as Hawthorne puts his plush tune sense and plaintive blue-eyed-soul pipes to instant classics like "Get To Know You," the Motor City referencing "A Long Time" and special fave "Finally Falling" (which also shows time well spent listening to Michael McDonald and Daryl Hall). M.H. has guested on the "Live From Daryl's House" webcast, and his fan club includes Kanye West, John Mayer, Snoop Dogg and Justin Timberlake. Where do I sign up?
HUNT TO KILL: He used to embrace the "neo-soul" tag. Now Van Hunt has moved on to much stronger stuff - image-rich, pile-driving pscychedelicized rock 'n' soul in the grand tradition of Jimi Hendrix and Bootsy Collins - on his first-in-five-years album "What Were You Hoping For" (Red Distribution, B+). I'm loving his weird celebration of "North Hollywood," the supercool ballad "Moving Targets," and the intriguing intimation that the recession has ended "white flight" and sparked more interracial dating on the title track.
