Avg Rating: 
4.4 ( 5 total votes )
Nostalgia can be a dangerous thing, particularly when it comes to music. Sometimes we’ll hear a song, even if only from the window of a passing car, and we’ll be overwhelmed by a flood of memories (for me it’s Bel Biv DeVoe’s Poison). Suddenly that song is the greatest song ever written, not because of any inherent quality, but because it serves as a bridge to a time when we were happier (or at least we think we were happier). Equally dangerous, however, is anti-nostalgia; the belief that nostalgia exaggerates so powerfully that anything old … ...Read the full album review
DJBooth Album Review
Nostalgia can be a dangerous thing, particularly when it comes to music. Sometimes we’ll hear a song, even if only from the window of a passing car, and we’ll be overwhelmed by a flood of memories (for me it’s Bel Biv DeVoe’s Poison). Suddenly that song is the greatest song ever written, not because of any inherent quality, but because it serves as a bridge to a time when we were happier (or at least we think we were happier). Equally dangerous, however, is anti-nostalgia; the belief that nostalgia exaggerates so powerfully that anything old can’t be trusted to actually be good.
Sorry anti-nostalgists, but you’re wrong - just take 60’s soul. Unlike today, when songs disappear into the caverns of our iPods as quickly as we download them, in the ’60s the average person might own ten albums, period. When someone’s only given ten albums to listen to for years they demand the depth to withstand repeated listens and the range to fit their best and worst days. It’s a demand that’s largely not placed on the modern artist, but none-the-less certain artists seem inexorably drawn to that era. Artists like Mayer Hawthorne.
The music Hawthorne’s making certainly isn’t new, it’s not even new in the retro sense. From Amy Winehouse to Raphael Saadiq we’ve heard his Motown meets the 21st century style for years now, but unlike certain trends (cough, swag, cough, auto-tune) timeless music, by definition, transcends trends. Can we ever really have too much good music? Could we ever have too many How Do You Dos?
That was a rhetorical question. No we can’t. Hawthorne’s debut album is filled with reminders of why Mayer planted himself firmly on the radars of music fans, regardless of their affiliations. Case in point Can’t Stop, a softly rocking cut whose hypnotizing overlays of guitars, horns and strings will have both hip-hop heads and their parents nodding their heads. And to really drive home the point he even brings on Snoop Dogg to deliver an entirely sung guest verse that’s way, way better than you think a singing Snoop verse would be (seriously). As Can’t Stop shows, Mayer’s incorporation of 2011 elements aren’t mash-ups. Instead he injects them subtly, for instance injecting a “sh*tty fu**king attitude” into the otherwise completely classically structured The Walk or laying down synths into the uptempo Finally Falling. Crucially, on How Do You Do Hawthorne isn’t copying Curtis Mayfield and Smokey Robinson, he’s building his own music homes on their foundations.
Now here comes the part where the music critic injects a “but” solely to suck all the enjoyment out of music. How Do You Do is a great listen, but…there’s just no getting around the fact that Mayer Hawthorne isn’t an especially strong singer. For a while I couldn’t figure out why some of the songs on the album weren’t connecting with me the way I thought they should – it’s Mayer’s voice. Just take Stick Around, a swinging cut begging for some real strength, but instead we get a breathy, quasi-falsetto from Hawthorne that instead of driving the track hangs on for the ride. Similarly, You’re Not Ready is an excellently written song, and it’s still one of my favorites on the album, but I can’t help but think that someone with more range could have made me feel some real emotion. No one’s asking for the man to transform into Whitney Houston, those kind of constant fireworks are like no fireworks at all, I’d just like a little more. Now there’s no shortage of times that Mayer’s understated vocal style works for him, like on No Strings, but even considering his myriad skills Mayer Hawthorne is, first and foremost, a singer, and great singers have to possess great voices.
While the paragraph above will certainly hold How Do You Do back from joining the ranks of the classic albums it’s so clearly inspired by, the depth and range the album provides gives it an air of timelessness that will certainly outlast most of its contemporary peers. Who knows, maybe someday you’ll be walking down the street, hear How Do You Do playing out the window of a passing car, and be swept up in a nostalgia for a time when music truly meant something.
Listen to More: Mayer Hawthorne Written by Nathan S.
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Average Member Rating: Total Ratings: 5
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Tastemaker  Total Ratings: 4267 |
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In the interest of full disclosure, let me first say that no other album meant more to me in 2009 than Hawthorne's debut album, "A Strange Arrangement". In fact, I listened to it so much, I had to wean myself in that oh-so-painful way of any true fan that fears both getting sick of an absolutely favorite album, and who also feels a little guilty for lack of attention to other undeniably great, but slightly less favorite albums (this means you, Fashawn's "Boy Meets World").
An artist and album (A Strange Arrangement) that should have garnered more attention upon its release, as it represents the only time, in my opinion, when DJBooth missed a beat! on coverage of album dats most definitely worth checking out. To get it front and centre, it's impossible for me to do an objective review of this album. I'm just such a huge Mayer Hawthorne fan that my feedback will either be far too glowing, or knowing that, I'll overcompensate and be overly critical. I can't say anything you won't think is biased, so I won't even try. It was unlikely that the sophomore record would turn out to be underwhelming, and it delivers on the promise generated by singles. If anything, it’s slightly overwhelming in places. Balanced and unbiased my rating may not be, but this album is another damn good reason why Mayer Hawthorne has carved a special place in my life with his music. He's a talented artist who so obviously pours his heart and soul into every project. I'm just glad he keeps them coming. Use my bias as a warning if you must, but when all is said and done it's hard not to believe that "How Do You Do" could be anything less than the blueprint for what soulful retro-RnB should be. There's a certain soul and grit in music that's hard to imitate or fake. Some musicians are just born with it. Raphael Saadiq has it. Mayer Hawthorne has it. My Top Picks: 1. No Strings 2. The Walk 3. A Long Time 4. Stick Around 5. Henny & Gingerale 6. Finally Falling 7. Hooked |
| Posted on Oct 06, 2011 |
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DJ Booth Member Total Ratings: 17 |
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 I think I like the first album best, but this one is nearly as good and I consider his first to be a classic.
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| Posted on Oct 07, 2011 |
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DJ Booth Member |
Hello, everybody, the good shoping place, the new season approaching, click in.
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| Posted on Oct 09, 2011 |
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Check me out on www.youtube.com/ForeverTheWeirdKid
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| Posted on Oct 18, 2011 |
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DJ Booth Member |
Don't have a rating for the album. Just logged in (first time in a long while) cause I felt I had to praise Nathan for this review. Really enjoy your creative writing style and the way you illustrate your points!
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| Posted on Nov 02, 2011 |
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DJ Booth Member  Total Ratings: 34 |
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Classic
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| Posted on Nov 04, 2011 |
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| Posted on Nov 06, 2011 |
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