If you stop by this site on a regular basis, you will no doubt have stumbled upon a new feature of summer songs that some of my favorite blogs have contributed to thus far. If I were to take that feature one step further and talk about albums that remind me of summer, I would definitely have to add James Hunter’s People Gonna Talk to my list for the summer of 2006.

Released only a few months ago, I got this album about two weeks ago and I find myself turning to it again and again, at home and in the car. There are plenty of Sam Cooke influences all over this album, and you can also hear the fingerprints of Van Morrison as well. When I first took a listen to this album, I also found myself drawing comparisons to some old Hepcat albums that I used to play back in the day as well.

This album is straight up infectious, and in listening to it, you can’t help but be astonished that this wasn’t released in the 1950′s or 60′s. James Hunter has found a way to mold jazz, blues, reggae, and pop into a perfect and unforgettable combination that should be one of the soundtracks to your summer.

If you take one album to a party, on a road trip, or to use to court that person you’ve wanted to get a little closer to, I highly recommend this album be the one. There are plenty of streaming tracks on his website, in addition to being his friend on Myspace.