Do you know what? I'm a bit confused as to how I should refer to this album.

Is it a James Hall album?

Perhaps it's James Hall and The Futura Bold or simply The Futura Bold?

No matter. Forget the nomenclature.

James Hall is on this and that's all you need to know.  

And for those of you who don't know who James is.

Shame on you!

Welcome to James Hall 101. It's easy to take part as it has only 5 simple steps:

1. Buy the album Pleasure Club by James Hall.

2. Buy the album 'Here Comes The Trick' by Pleasure Club.

3. Buy the album 'The Fugitive Kind' by Pleasure Club.

4. Download this free eight track album by the Futura Bold.

5. Do not operate heavy machinery (unless listening to any of the above).

By now you might be leaping to the unfounded idea that I like James Hall a lot. It's true that I'm currently in Atlanta cleverly concealed amongst some low lying shrubbery watching James doing his weekly shop, but I wouldn't call myself an Überfän. I'm merely looking for ideas about what to cook for tea tonight.

It's just that the man exudes a rawness and an honesty which is a rare commodity these days. He has that wild abandon that Mick Jagger and Iggy Pop have. James emotes from the pit of his imperfect soul and seduces you into a passive state whereby one doesn't doubt the veracity of anything that comes out of his mouth.

And to give The Futura Bold their dues, Chris Pisku and Bruce Butkovich have melded with James to create something that we haven't heard from James before. It's different from his solo albums and to those of Pleasure Club. I'm reluctant to say that they've tamed James' rawness but there's a cleanliness and solidity pervading the album that allows the band to explore new tonal frontiers.

'Euro Skank' is a dark slice of sleazy disco bound together with Robert Fripp-like textures as deadly as tangled snakes. But before you boogie close enough to touch hip to hip pay heed to James as he contemptuously sings: "Your body's sore but it sure beats those days on the corner".  James' prevalent vocals nonchalantly brush over the quick ticking of the guitar on 'Deadbeat Brother'. Fripp's influence is still here as is Bowie's. Lyrically the song paints as rich a scene as any Bowie has written: "I wasn't quite a junkie, she wasn't quite a hooker, she didn't ask for money, but it seemed like she was looking".

I don't even know if singles exist anymore in this brave new binary world but I still can't stop my game of 'spot the single' when listening to albums and this week's winner is...'Shooting Star'. Starting with guitar and vocals you can hear the rhythm emerging and know that you're in for a dirty ride when the drums come in. And you're not disappointed. The guitars are at ankle level and the beat is lascivious.  Super-charged synths and a heavy beat pump us back out onto the dance floor for 'Evil Twin'.  This time around things get ugly as the dance floor turns out to be an improvised basement fight club as we're surrounded by chanting spectators baying for blood - or at least for some flashy footwork.

'Room To Room' is a restless ghostly piece where you can imagine a bloodless and baroque James Hall pacing back and forth soothing himself with his own deep, dour baritone. Eternally searching for something lost forever.  The gothic is still apparent on 'Begin Again', and it's downright evil. James incanting malevolently over pounded tom toms. And one has to wonder if this one time resident of New Orleans has picked up some tricks down there that will either see someone into their grave or someone rising out of it.

If James has been on a long leash for the best part of this album then 'Witchboard Operator' is where he rips up the steel peg and wields it like a switchblade while screaming in your face. 'Assassination Row' brings us to the end with a brooding sombre number that Jim Morrison would've been happy to duet on. The piano is slight and discordant. James blows his lonely horn and rouses the guitars up out of their long dirt sleep.

So what are you waiting for? Download the first eight tracks for free (simply click on the link below). The album comes in a variety of formats. The CD adds two tracks 'No Future Kid' and 'For The Riches' while the deluxe download version adds a further four tracks including the fantastic 'Good Times' and 'Love And Forgiveness'. A nine track vinyl version comes out in the summer and adds 'Out of Vegas' which doesn't appear on any of the other formats.

http://www.jameshall.com/

www.myspace.com/thefuturabold