Studio Sessions

Van Hunt's career has seen both the ups and downs of the music industry. His R&B releases of the late 2000's were championed by many public radio triple-A stations. He won a Grammy in 2007 for a Sly & The Family Stone tribute with Joss Stone and John Legend.  But his next full-length record was shelved by Blue Note, leading to a parting of ways with the label and Hunt releasing his new record on his own.

That new release is What Were You Hoping For?, and while it's a much-awaited return from the artist, it also marks a new musical direction, with a heavier reliance on guitar, though still infused throughout with Van Hunt's vocal strengths and charisma.

For this session, Van Hunt and his band featured 4 songs from the new record, plus an older favorite, "Character."

See the performances above. Here's the interview with Van Hunt, produced by OPB's Ifanyi Bell.

Van Hunt at OPB, 10-12-11. Recorded by Steven Kray with technical assistance from Randy Layton. Video production: Jarratt Taylor, Lana Bui, Ifanyi Bell, and David Christensen. Photos by Ifanyi Bell.