Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Life is a lottery, a moment in which when your time to shine is perhaps over, you slink back into the shadows and let the next generation have their say; not exactly, not ever, if the message is strong, if the words and the ideals are still relevant then no matter the time in that person’s life, the yardstick in which their years as an ambassador, as a rebel with a cause, is what matters. For Ian Hunter & The Rant Band, Fingers Crossed, they will forever be the ambassador and the rebel, the vanguards of the good fight of the eternal battle against the humdrum and the tediously packaged.
Ian Hunter is a man of conviction, always has been and as his latest album proudly shows, will always be notable and thanked highly for remaining true to the soul. Fingers Crossed, the sign of fortune and luck, stands aloft on the album cover. Yet this is no slight dip in to the world of chance, of the God’s blessing handed down to a mortal in favour for saving a particular favourite in hand to hand combat; this is the culmination of years of bravery in adversity, of memories handed down, learned from and beaten with a large club across co-incidence’s face; Fingers Crossed is the result of always having the finger ready to show the world just how wrong they are.
Fingers Crossed is jovial but meaningful, it rides along as you would expect anything with Ian Hunter’s lyrical insight attached to it, however it also has the undercurrent of distance attached. It offers an insight into the thoughts of a man who has survived, endured and lived more than most but also it withdraws, it vacates a space for the listener to place in their own meaning, their own story; this is two way conversation, the memories and thoughts are Ian Hunter’s but the heartbeat is felt and rejoiced in by the listener.
In tracks such as Dandy, Ghosts, the superb Bow Street Runners, Stranded in Reality and the beautiful You Can’t Live In The Past, Ian Hunter & The Rant Band are in the right place and certainly the right time to show that all the young dudes coming through and into the world are to be urged on but don’t you dare forget those that paved the way; Fingers Crossed nothing, being bold is the key to being loved and Ian Hunter retains that in abundance.
Ian D. Hall