I’ve found a soothing balm of sound in this collaboration—an urban pulse with heart. Hunter and Feingold move between sketches and longer conversations, honoring the past with sly nods while keeping the feel decidedly present. The shortest pieces—little bursts of perfection—leave me wanting more. Now I want to see them live and watch that interplay up close.
About Ella: Grammy-winning guitarist, composer, and orchestrator Ella Feingold studied with the legendary Spanky Alford, and her résumé runs from Queen Latifah and Erykah Badu to The Roots, Jay-Z, and Bruno Mars/Silk Sonic. Charlie Hunter calls her “one of the baddest, greasiest guitar players on the planet,” and you can hear why: deep pocket, lush voicings, and a pioneering inverted tuning that opens harmonic doors most guitars don’t. More at www.feingoldmusic.com.
About Charlie: Charlie Hunter is a guitarist, producer, and composer known for his genre-blending style across jazz, funk, blues, and rock. A pioneer of the eight-string guitar, he now plays custom 6- and 7-string instruments by Hybrid Guitars Co. His solo work and collaborations—including SuperBlue with Kurt Elling—showcase his artistry as he tours worldwide. More at www.charliehunter.com
The concept: This record feels like two friends telling stories—no script, just instinct, trust, and time. It’s rooted in funk, jazz, soul, and ambient textures; it’s raw, spontaneous, and deeply connected.
I hear music through a lens of movement and emotion. Here are my impressions, track by track.
1) There’s Still a Riot Goin’ On
Instant pocket from the first beat. As they used to say on American Bandstand: it’s got a great beat and it’s easy to dance to. Sensual, clean funk that builds patiently, melody lifting off before it drifts away.
2) Shirley Chisholm
Quiet grace with backbone. Brushes like waves wearing down stone—calm, determined, and true to its namesake.
3) Agitated Fonk
Classic-leaning funk with the guitar purring in all the right places.
4) Feel No Shame for Who You Are
A slow, hold-me-tight-and-sway ballad. The bridge bites with introspection, then eases back into the soulful sway.
5) Brownie McGhee
An urbane homage: cocktail-club sheen in black, chrome, and gold. Understated, refined, and intentional.
6) Twilight Vertigo
Uneasy harmony adrift in time and space—a brief, dizzy exhale.
7) Malaco
The most danceable cut on the record—hips move before the mind catches up.
8) Nasty Ain’t It!?
Likely the longest track. Minor-key tension and staccato alarms—rip-the-bandage urgency—before it pivots to something steadier and triumphant.
9) Walk Up
The rhythm of a stairwell: the trudge and drudge rendered musical—grandma hauling groceries, step by step.
10) Housatonic
Bass growls the funk. Sure steps and shoulder sway—confident and grounded.
11) Sanford N’Anybody
A grounded bass line with high-tone guitar funk over top. Shake it, shake it.
12) Tamla
A whispered love song—short, close, and sweet.
13) Les Cloches
Each note clear as a bell—maybe a wink to Debussy—ringing with restraint.
14) An Inch Wide & a Mile Deep
The other long journey. Guitars wander toward odd light, snap into buoyancy, then settle into porch-firefly ease. (Why am I thinking chickens during the scratches and clucks?) Maybe home really is a path an inch wide and a mile deep.
15) This Is How We Rescue Each Other
A closing statement of care—love as cadence.
If some tracks end too soon, that’s part of the design: they leave space for the listener—and for the next conversation onstage. As a whole, this set fits quiet ruminations, a gathering of friends, or the steady lift that gets you through the day.
Buy/Listen: Order the vinyl (with Meshell Ndegeocello’s liner notes) or digital via Charlie Hunter’s shop: Different Strokes for Different Folks.
