On the Jungle Floor (2006)

Again positioning himself as an auteur outside the rigid confines of commercial radio, Van Hunt creates '80s-lovin' rock & soul on his second uncompromising, melting-pot opus On the Jungle Floor. Though his breath-heavy vocals recall Curtis May field, Prince and Sly Stone are the more resonant influences here. But he's no follower: Twisty songwriting quirks, tasty guitar licks, and unexpected funk codas result in the welcome return of an original.