Press play on Mayer Hawthorne’s latest, How Do You Do, and step into any Smokey Robinson record. Don’t be fooled by the album cover – in this case, looks are incredibly deceiving. Hawthorne may be hipster in dress, but his voice is completely Motown.
The throwback artist lane is strictly survival of the fittest, the distinction between Grammy Award winning Adele and one-hit wonder Duffy. Hawthorne finds the delicate balance of spot-on nostalgia and establishing his own style. Similar to old Soul bands like the Chi-Lites, he recreates the days in music when every piano note was tied to every vocal inflection. How Do You Do is a collection of songs for slow dances and two-steps, sensual in the subtlest way.
In the very first notes of “Get To Know You,” Hawthorne’s breathy voice enhances a smooth bassline. He takes listeners back to the Motor City with “A Long Time,” during the Motown glory days of Marvin Gaye’s smooth crooning, and the synchronized moves of The Temptations. The smoothest player of them all, Snoop Dogg, guests on “Can’t Stop,” and gets in on the fun with his own spin: “When you and I get intertwined… And you can let me hit it from behind.” Hawthorne continues his stroll through the ’60s with the bright sunshiny “Dreaming.” The track is so reminiscent of The Turtles “So Happy Together,” that the two should play in tandem on a feel-good playlist.
No soul album would be complete without a song about heartbreak, but there’s never been one quite like “The Walk.” The track is the ultimate kiss off: “Baby, what you’re doing now, you’re pissing me off… But your hair is so luxurious and your lips are so soft.” Love does come with its share of bull, but Hawthorne finds himself bitten by the bug throughout most of the album. He urges the object of his affection to lose the guy who neglects her and give him a chance on “Stick Around.” Will she leave her man, since he was out with Desiree? On How Do You Do Hawthorne returns to a time when instruments were just as important to the story as the lyrics.
Midway through the album, it’s easy for listeners to wonder how modern R&B would fit on him. Then “No Strings” plays, and the thought is just a fleeting one. He laces the “first glance across a crowded room” story with funk stylings. With heads nodding and ears hooked on every word, he leaves listeners wondering if he’ll get the girl at the end of the night.
How Do You Do is full of Soul. Hawthorne sways from being an unapologetic bachelor to one ready to set aside his little black book and finally settle down. He succeeds in creating a soul revival with a refreshing modern day twist done so right.
Mayer Hawthorne is awesome, and so is this record. If you’re into soul music at all, check it out.
This guy likes cocaine, a lot of it.
Haha ! Mayer’s dope !
Just excellent!
Garbage.
maybe you
Nice!!!
Mayer never ceases to amaze me, how he blends that definitive Motown sound with his own 21st century flavor is incredible. The whole album top to bottom is truly great!
never dissapoints
Great record. Not as good as his first, but excellent nonetheless. 4 stars from me.
Not better than A Strange Arrangement but this is a good CD. 4/5
Doesn’t belong on DX. This is Soul.
And Soul has NOTHING to do with hip-hop at all. No sir, not a thing…
Ehhh it was ok, but about half the songs are kinda wack
this guy sucks. why listen to this imitation crap when i can just as easily slide my delfonics, james brown shit in the deck and REALLY vibe out? he’s trying, but he’s just not funky like that. his spirit is weak. i feel bad for those that think this is really some original, fresh, sounding stuff. it’s like bad cover records. 80’s tribute bands. imitation crab, isn’t crab. stones throw is wack for hyping this guy, and dx is wack for reviewing his album. sucks.
if you wanna listen to soul, stay away from mayer hwathrone.
fuck you EJ, Mayer is God, he is soul and funk future. best artist !
This album is on par with strange arrangement, but it is definitely more polished and clean, which is what I was looking for with a big label and good studio time behind him. I love it. No one is saying Mayer Hawthorne is as good as the Delfonics or James Brown, but this guy has soul and his stuff is good and this album is good.
you look like somebody that would be into this type of “soul music”.
no offense.
but i’m not humping black queens to mayer hawtrhone records.
weak, diluted, wannabe shit. fucking white kid wants to make old soul so he gets all the press, all the looks. stones throw is a fruity label.
Terrible review. Having an old school sound by itself does not a good album make. At first, it’s refreshing. The first track is appropriately smooth, and “The Walk” is the most well-conceived track. Overall though, the album is quite lackluster. There are lot of spaces in the music that are left unfilled by oversimplified lyrics and repetitive melodies that Mayer’s average baritone cannot salvage from mediocrity, leaving us with a doo-wop sound that wouldn’t measure up even if it were released 50 years ago. I give this album a 2, and no truly discerning reviewer would give it more than a 3.
Mayer Hawthorne is that dude. We got it in at my wedding reception.
3/5 the whiteboy did his thing, but the production outshines him by alot
good one