Ian Hunter Continues Defiance On Great-Sounding Sequel

Until last year, Ian Hunter wasn’t exactly on my radar screen. That changed quickly after I had heard Bed of Roses, one of the upfront singles of his April 2023 album Defiance Part 1 that I subsequently reviewed here. Last Friday, April 19, the ex-Mott the Hoople lead vocalist and guitarist came back with Defiance Part 2: Fiction. While it mirrors the approach and sound of the predecessor, the sequel is a fun listening experience reaffirming that Hunter at 84 years remains a compelling vocalist and songwriter.

Like Defiance Part 1, the second installment features contributions from an impressive array of other artists. Some, such as Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott, Stone Temple Pilots’ Robert DeLeo, the late Taylor Hawkins and the late Jeff Beck, also were on the first album. Others like Brian May, Lucinda Williams and The Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson and Rich Robinson are new guests.

Ian Hunter with the late Jeff Beck and Johnny Depp who in addition to playing guitar on one track created the painting for the cover art

Once again, longtime collaborator Andy York, who is also a member of John Mellencamp’s touring band, co-produced the album with Hunter. More background on how the Defiance concept came together is in the above-noted review. Let’s get to some music from Defiance Part 2: Fiction.

Since I included the opener People in my latest weekly new music review, I’m skipping it here and go right to Fiction. Like all of the album’s other nine tracks the music and the lyrics were solely written by Hunter. Among others, it features ex-Mott the Hoople keyboarder Morgan Fisher who has also played with many other artists and more recently expanded into photography.

The 3rd Rail is a ballad dedicated to Jeff Beck. The English guitarist can also be heard on lead guitar. It was one of his final studio recordings prior to his death from bacterial meningitis at age 78 in January 2023. Johnny Depp contributed acoustic and electric rhythm guitar.

Precious, which became the album’s first upfront single on February 15, features ex-Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, Joe Elliott on backing vocals and Queen’s Brian May on guitar. “We got on really well with Queen,” Hunter recalled in a statement on his website. “When you’re in a band you can get really bored with each other but they were just normal blokes, it was like being on the road with nine guys instead of just five. Freddie was hilarious and I’ve kept up with Brian to this day.”

On What Would I Do Without You, another ballad, Hunter shares lead vocals with Lucinda Williams, who has become one of my favorite artists over the past couple of years. “Lucinda and her husband came to one of my shows in Nashville,” Hunter recalled. “I love her voice, there’s something very childlike, and you just know it’s her straight away. You don’t forget that voice.” They do sound great together!

The last track I’d like to call out is Everybody’s Crazy But Me. The nice rocker, among others, features Hawkins (drums), Waddy Wachtel (guitar) and Benmont Tench (organ), formerly of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Commenting on his harder lyrical edge to examine contemporary issues on Defiance Part 2: Fiction, Hunter stated, “I was trying to avoid all that on PART 1 but on PART 2, it caught up with me. Most of those were written two or three years back, so I wanted to get it all out before whatever takes hold in November. It would be dated after the fact.”

He added, “I’m neither left nor particularly right. I’m just straight down the middle. And so I tried to write from that point of view. An eagle has two wings and if one falls off it perishes. That’s what I’m trying to get at. A bit of common sense, you know, Thomas Paine stuff.”

Apparently, Hunter has found his grove and wants to continue the Defiance project with a third installment, for which he already has started to write new songs. Though the project initially emerged from expediency and COVID quarantine, Hunter evidently is encouraged by the outcomes of the collaborative approach.

“I never initiated this,” he said. “It just kind of just happened and it turned out great. So I’m going to write some more songs and we’ll see what happens again.”

Sources: Ian Hunter website; YouTube; Spotify