Mayer Hawthorne returns with his neo-Motown sound to tackle “that difficult second album”. iCrates takes a look at how he got on…
Mayer Hawthorne’s first album A Strange Arrangement was just that; a collection buckled together with Hawthorne lending his hand – through necessity more than virtuosity – to each and every instrument, carefully mimicking the retro RnB sound he idealises. But it worked, and listeners were rewarded with truly enjoyable nostalgic retro music with simple guitar riffs and clean bass hooks. Making good ol’ pop music for an audience of generational suburbanites, it is no wonder that Hawthorne grew up as Andrew Cohen in Ann Arbor, Michigan and lives now in L.A. This was spit-polish escape music laced with ballsy Americana chat-up lines, sounding every inch the contemporary of The O’Jays, The Ambassadors or The Dynamics.
With his second album, How Do You Do, Hawthorne is under pressure to show that he is more than the sum of his pop parts, and he is keen to hone that retro sound into something his own. Rightly so. A cut and shut second album of golden oldies wouldn’t cut it.
“The News” shows a divergent influence with its cheesy tinkling reggae sound, while Snoop Dogg makes an appearance on “Can’t Stop” sounding altogether more like John Legend than a gangster.
Regrettably, when Hawthorne strays from the true RnB stable his brand of retro pop wears a little thin. While most songs manage to carry the cumbersome weight of pop’s history, numbers like ‘Finally Falling’ smack of phoned-in romance that his first album (and the new tracks in the same idiom) manage to escape. Pure pop is celebrated here, though occasionally it’s the sort that you’d rather forget. Snoop’s contribution was surly better left on the cutting room floor.
Better is “Hooked,” or “You Called Me” which is reminiscent of his straight up RnB, while “The Walk,” the LP’s first single, points to a loss of innocence in Hawthorne’s lyrics, and a tongue-in-cheek self-awareness of the silliness of his act. Lyrically, Hawthorne has entered more saucy territory with some straight up lover man music in “Get to Know You,” or “No Strings.”
Indeed, “A Long Time” is an eulogistic ode to Motown that regrets and romanticises the fall of Detroit’s music and the auto industry. Hawthorne’s falsetto promises a better future in the past – a tomorrow in yesterday – so make sure the treble is up for this one, and start driving a Henry Ford. With the better tracks presented here, the listener is inclined to agree with Hawthorne that nostalgia is everything, but this is a fleeting inclination, and the majority of the album strays from his pure RnB sound.
However, iCrates readers will probably recognise one of their own in Hawthorne. Vinyl has been an extension of the creative endeavour, and technically if not musically, he has been able to bridge the gap between the past and innovation; seen in his bright green 45 for “Green Eyed Love”, or else the novel heart shaped single that has become his calling card at concerts.
And, as Jay Electronica proved earlier this year, there is still mileage in vintage breakbeats, while fellow Stones Thrower Aloe Blacc leads the way in hip hop inspired nu soul on making the successful crossover from MC to harmony with his chart topping “I Need a Dollar.”
Jay Electronica – Shiny Suit Theory
Yes, of course the stock comparisons to The Temptations, The Dynamics and others still ring true to Hawthorne’s sound, and that’s all well and good. But, unlike Blacc or other ambassadors of retro such as Hanni El Khatib, who know their image is so wrapped up in a idiom of the past that they have created an uncanny ‘old but new’ sound all the more appealing for its familiarity and modern complexity, Hawthorne’s attempts to diversify his pop idiom fall flat. The listener is left wishing he stuck to do what he did best, but knows this won’t be enough for a repeat listen.
How Do You Do is Mayer Hawthorne’s first outing for a major record label (Universal Music) and is available on CD and vinyl (2xLP).
All photos courtesy of UMGI
