Ian Hunter Hitting Studio In January

Ian Hunter is heading back to the studio at the start of next year to begin recording his next album which he promises will be different than this last couple of releases, telling Billboard that Jan. 9 is the targeted start date.

Following up his 2009 release 'Man Overboard,' Hunter says this one is a "rock 'n' roll record" which may be the result of the relationship he's developed with his The Rant Band over the past ten years. Though the guitarists have changed periodically, Hunter explains that the members have gotten to know each other really well.

"It plays like a band now," he said. "It doesn't really play like me and a band; it plays like a band, and I've always been a band guy, not really a star who's separate and apart. When you're a songwriter, it's like you present them with the finished article and they then enhance it. With a band situation, you go into a rehearsal room and figure it out. That's what we're going to do this time, I think."

To a degree, Hunter plans to have his new material worked out before collaborating with the band, saying he's already got the songs and tons of lyrics but that "it's just a case of "matching 'em up." Hunter is also considering releasing the next album on his own, creating his own label and handling it independently. "I've talked to a lot of people about what's the best way to go. I'm beginning to think maybe I'll be better off going more direct than I've been doing up to now. We'll see," he said.

The recent tour appears to have just ended (Nov. 18), which should allow Hunter ample time to set his plans in motion and good timing, it is. After the success of the Mott The Hoople reunion in 2009, two years of gigging and the Nov. 14 release of 'The Ballad of Mott The Hoople' documentary, Hunter has set the stage, leaving his fans hungry for more.