Secret Spotify: I Wanna Get Into You by James D. Hall

Secret Spotify is a new weekly series delving into the outer reaches of the streaming service. Every Monday, we'll unearth a hidden gem — each with no more than 50,000 plays — and tell you the story behind the music. With all of us staying indoors for a while yet, we'll have plenty of time to discover new music — hopefully these tracks can set you off in the right direction.​

First up, it's I Wanna Get Into You by James D. Hall.

It’s a much derided genre, AOR. Short for adult-oriented rock, it’s silky smooth, super hooky, and variously topped with syrupy layers of soul, jazz or disco. It was popularised towards the end of the 70s and into the 80s by the likes of Toto, Steely Dan and Michael McDonald-era Doobie Brothers. Basically, it’s the kind of stuff your dad listens to.

In recent years though, that distinctly uncool reputation has been shed, with soft rock floating back towards the mainstream and the likes of Haim, The 1975, Thundercat and Lana Del Rey embracing the sound.

It's caused a lot of people to look back in time and search for forgotten songs of the era. One of the artists to do so — and come back with a treasure trove — is Pascal Rioux, aka Charles Maurice, who helms the Parisian label Favorite Recordings. His four-volume series AOR Global Sounds is a disco-and-soul-infused voyage through some of the genre’s relics, all remastered and restored to their former glory.

All of the songs across those four albums are great, but James D Hall’s I Wanna Get Into You is a particular standout. Even from the first few seconds, it's one of those tracks that you just know is going to be good. It kicks into the groove immediately, with a rippling jazz flute and chunky bassline. Then, it's all finessed guitar flicks, before some seductively laid-back vocals arrive. It even goes a bit synthy around the two-and-a-half minute mark. It's all fantastic; it lifts you up, gets you going, and needs to be put on repeat.

We’re not the only fan, either, with crate-digging producer Madlib among the artists to include it on a mixtape, which is always a sure sign of quality.

Once you’ve worked through AOR Global Sounds, move onto another of Maurice’s reissue series, French Disco Boogie Sounds — trust us, it’s as good as it sounds.

Listen on Spotify below, or buy the song here