James Hunter Six shares A Sure Thing from Off The Fence

The James Hunter Six brought “A Sure Thing” from Off The Fence to CBS Saturday Morning, giving James Hunter another national showcase for the gritty, horn-driven sound that has defined his career. The track comes from Off The Fence, released on January 16, 2026, and issued on Easy Eye Sound, the label founded by Dan Auerbach.

Hunter’s background helps explain the record’s steady authority. His official biography says he has written 83 original songs, and it traces a career that stretches back more than three decades in British rhythm and blues. Before the studio attention and TV bookings, Hunter worked on the railway, busked on London streets, and backed Van Morrison on vocals and guitar. He also reached the United States in 2006 with People Gonna Talk, an album that earned a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Blues Album.

That history places Off The Fence in a line of work built on performance discipline rather than trend chasing. The James Hunter Six have moved through clubs and theaters for years, carrying a sound that draws on classic R&B and soul without losing the sharpness of a working band. In a music market crowded by playlists and fragmented listening habits, Hunter’s appeal rests on something more durable: a voice with bite, songs that hold together, and a band that sounds locked in from the first bar.

CBS Saturday Morning has repeatedly returned to the group, previously featuring performances of “Here And Now” and “Gun Shy” before adding “A Sure Thing.” That kind of repeat exposure is rare for a modern roots act and points to an audience that still responds to live musicianship, especially when the performance arrives with the polish of a seasoned ensemble and the grit of a long career. For Hunter, whose catalogue and stage work now span decades, the latest television slot kept that old-school approach squarely in the national frame.