Ian Hunter, arguably one of the best unsung songwriters, will release his second album in two years -- not bad for an 84-year old.
Defiance Part 2: Fiction will be out on April 19th, and, like it's predecessor, last year's Defiance Part 1, he's joined by a who's who of musicians including:
- Jeff Beck & Taylor Hawkins -- their final studio sessions
- Brian May
- Cheap Trick's Robin Zander, Rick Nielsen & Tom Petersson
- Lucinda Williams
- Dean DeLeo, Robert De Leo & Eric Kretz of Stone Temple Pilots
- Def Leppard's Joe Elliott & Phil Collen
- Johnny Depp
- Billy Bob Thornton
- Benmont Tench from Tom Petty's Heartbreakers
- Ian's former Mott the Hoople bandmate Morgan Fisher
The 10-song collection will be available on vinyl, CD, and digitally. And, a limited-edition two LP vinyl edition with three bonus tracks, featuring Pearl Jam's Mike McCready and Matt Cameron, and Chris and Rich Robinson from The Black Crowes, will be available exclusively on Record Store Day, April 20th.
The album's cover art was painted by Johnny Depp, and the first single, “Precious,” features Taylor Hawkins on drums, Brian May on guitar, and Joe Elliott on background vocals. It's out now on all digital streaming platforms.
Commenting on these songs, Hunter says, “I'm neither left nor particularly right [politically]. 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.”
Hunter is working on Defiance 3.