By Joseph Chretian
Similar to artists like Raphael Saadiq and the late Amy Winehouse, Mayer Hawthorn and his band “The County” are attracted to the nostalgic sound and sultry soul of yesteryear; particularly the 60’s.
These artists infatuation lies in the decade in which Motown Records was spawned only a few miles from where Andrew Mayer Cohen grew up in Michigan and became popularly known as the voice of 60’s youth.
In interviews Mayer has admitted that his inspiration from Motown artists and Detroit legends such as Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and the late J. Dilla shape his sound.
In his Sophomore effort “How Do You Do” Hawthorne shows to have improved in fusing his revered creators style’s with his own, “A lot of my other influences are coming out on this record,” Hawthorne told Billboard Magazine “There are a lot of other genres that are blending in now. It’s just turning into me.”
Hawthorne offers an alternative to his coexisting musicians, singing the blues and soul more likely to be heard on the radio after sped up and sampled then in their raw form.
Whether his goal is to pay homage to Motown’s Golden Era or to bridge classic soul with modern elements and usher his own unique sound into the mainstream, the music is authentic and as usual the message is love.
“How Do You Do” is riddled with tales of romantic endeavors both simple and complex, sweet and foul.
As Can’t Stop shows, Mayer’s incorporation of 2011 elements aren’t mash-ups.
Instead he injects them subtly, for instance commenting on his awry love’s “sh*tty fu**king attitude” on the otherwise completely classically structured The Walk or laying synths into the up tempo Finally Falling.
Snoop Dogg even joins Hawthorne in a duet, singing a half serious verse on the string heavy “Can’t Stop.”
Crucially, in “How Do You Do” Hawthorne isn’t copying Curtis Mayfield and The Beatles, he’s building his own sound on top of their foundations and with these methods crafted a timeless work that will most likely outlast that of his contemporary peers.
Notable Tracks: Get To Know You, Can’t Stop, Finally Falling, Stick Around, You’re Not Ready
9 Spins out of 10