Sitting in the shade of lemonade stand on Day 3 of Coachella, outside of the Gobi Tent I tried to take a nap. I failed to sleep not because I wasn't exhausted and probably dehydrated, but because the music that began coming from the tent was great and I didn't want to miss it. Mayer Hawthorne, and the County, his touring band, play a brand of soul music that is more suited to the 1960s than the early 2010s. Coming from Detroit, Michigan, Hawthorne has soul in his bones and his label, the always pressing good records, Stones Throw, has really tapped into a great new artist in a genre that they don't generally produce.
Like the Hipstones, Jamie Lidell, Sharon Jones, Black Joe Lewis, and JC Brooks, Mayer Hawthorne doesn't make music to dance to he makes music to groove to. The neo-soul movement is refreshing at a time when popular music is generally made up of the same four chords, and a lack of any meaningful sentiments other than 'let's pop bottles!' or 'i luvs california girls!'. Not that Hawthorne doesn't have a sense of humor with regard to the popular stuff as his concerts often include live sing-a-longs to Biz Markie's "Just a Friend".
The tracks generally all have the same message of love lost, found, misplaced, or underestimated, and he has the soulful chops to make the proverbial panties get wet. Play this one on an early Sunday drive or a lazy afternoon and I promise your day will immediately improve upon hearing Hawthorne's smooth delivery. Key tracks are 'Just Ain't Gonna Work Out' (which has a GREAT music video), 'Your Easy Lovin' Ain't Pleasin' Nothin', and 'Shiny and New'.
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