Last night I was hanging with the Crescent City’s renowned DJ Soul Sister. We went to House of Blues and checked out a new artist named Mayer Hawthorne.Based on the cute video for his single “Maybe So, Maybe No” (embedded below), I presumed Hawthorne was British.
At the show, with his velvet blazer, silk tie and Buddy Holly glasses (plus the whole nerdy-white-boy-into-soul-music thing), he seemed the perfect English douchebag. Except no British accent.
In reality, Mayer Hawthorne (born Andrew Mayer Cohen) is from Ann Arbor, Michigan... so his Motown love came from the soil. (“Maybe So, Maybe No” is a 40-year-old tune written by Detroiters Tony Hester and Richard “Popcorn” Wylie.)
Hawthorne had a tight, funky four-piece band backing him up. He pleased the folks who came to see him. But his vocal chops... I mean, for a soul singer...
Put it like this: If a black dude tried to get over with that level of singing talent... it’s unimaginable. Simply wouldn’t happen. Dude would be driving the band van.
25 comments:
I have a new crush. Yeah, he's no Marvin Gaye--heck, not even Marvin Hamlisch--but I like his vibe and there was no autotune.
^I AGREE.
I'm lovin' the Vid. Yes, he is a little to styled up with the clothing, but the visuals for the vid are hot. Maybe not the right vid for the song, too.
But, you def. have a point UBM. Vocals. Vocals. Vocals.
Random Thoughts about the side stuff:
The Prince clip was TOO FUNKY! Thank you for that.
Also, can Chris Rock really be happily married if we never see him with his wife and he is CUPPING the side of that dancer like he wants (or has) sexed her before?
@Chris Rock: "That is not a PLUTONIC ZONE!"
I checked his site to see if he was to appear anywhere near NE Florida, and not surprisingly he is not. I just wanted to check out his live show and see if what you said about his mediocre vocals was true.
But the video is well done, though. Guess I'll simply have to wait to see if he really has the goods.
And by the way. You are in New Orleans, right? Well, when are you going to kick some of that old New Orleans funk like The Meters? I've been waiting patiently for you to do so, but you seemed to have overlooked them.
hanging with, or pushing up on?
(^; tee,hee,hee,hee,hee.....,
I'ma going ask Mr. Cohen to talk with some of my author clients who don't want to believe it's all about the positioning, the positioning. Meaning, the task of setting up a distinctive identity so people can get to your words or, your song. Cohen's song is just all right, but made more because of his camerawork and nerd vibe.
Put it like this: If a black dude tried to get over with that level of singing talent...
Does that mean he won't be on a Jewish soul brothers playlist?
What he has is:
- chutzpah: fronting a band with a so-so voice
- an interesting image: the faux Mod look
- good marketing: Heck, you're now part of the marketing campaign. Never heard of him until your comment.
Chutzpah... an interesting image... good marketing...
Shoot, GG... that's how Obama got over!
:^o
Also, can Chris Rock really be happily married if we never see him with his wife...
Funny, la. We don't, do we?
But the chick in this photo is from Rock's new movie, "Good Hair." Which opened in limited release this weekend... nationwide in two weeks.
Does that mean he won't be on a Jewish soul brothers playlist?
Not ahead of Lewis Taylor he won't!
;^)
And for those of you interested... here's the original "Maybe So, Maybe No" from 1969.
Not ahead of Lewis Taylor he won't!
I wonder if he's a Marvin Gaye fan?
I liked it. I might have to check him out.
thx
I wonder if he's a Marvin Gaye fan?
You think? :^D
My boy Larry Alexander introduced me to Lewis Taylor during last year's Funky Whiteboy Appreciation Week.
For many months after Larry's post, LT's fanatical online fan base carried on an intense discussion in the comment thread.
^Gosh. How soon I forget. (I even posted a comment.)
I think you posted about Talking Heads that week. I must've been distracted by that.
Aww, Lewis Taylor! Another one bites the dust
white boys trying to sing soul is their ultimate "penis envy"...it's like a car wreck on the highway; you're gonna turn your head and look...but no thank you, i'll settle for the real deal...
^ You mean like that dude in the Revelations?
^OMG. Awesomeness. (Tre)
K-CI and Jo Jo) (from Jodeci), Anthony Hamilton, Maxwell...
yeah...like that dude in Revelations!
i will have to investigate this Lewis Taylor though...
What he has is:
Damn good songs with damn good arrangements. That is just a litte bit important. I mean, have you heard "Just Ain't Gonna Work Out"?
Sure, his voice is nothing amazing but it's passable. I'd take him any day over, say, Usher.
Is he significantly worse singer than the lead vocalists of the Stylistics, Delfonics, etc? They weren't Marvin Gaye either.
Btw, Lewis Taylor is awesome. Try "Bittersweet".
^ Ummmm... the hell did you just say in my house??
The lead singer of the Stylistics, Russell Thompkins, Jr., is probably the greatest Philly-soul singer of all times. Let’s compare falsettos, shall we?
Click here for ya boy.
Click here for Thompkins.
So the answer to your question is yes... Hawthorne is significantly worse of a singer.
I got no qualms with Mayer Hawthorne making a living. But basically he’s just a crate-digger with good taste and a likeable personality.
Haha, fair point UBM. However technical abilities aside, I must say Thompkins' voice doesn't really do much for me. I'd also argue that of those two songs, Hawthorne's is the better of the two. But that's just my personal taste.
But I guess my point was that there are some amazing black vocalists out there as always, but in comparison to the 60s and 70s, few of them have the songs. That's why guys like Mayer Hawthorne are doing well, vocal ability or not. "I Wish It Would Rain" is also dope.
ES: I'll grant you that the brothers out there now who can really blow... aren't the ones you hear on the radio.
Like Brian Williams of The Blue Method... BAM!
Yeah you won't hear that on the radio. I think the only guy I would consider a "great soul singer" who has come anywhere near the charts recently is Anthony Hamilton.
Btw, the original "Maybe So, Maybe No" - absolute dynamite. The cover is nice but doesn't have that magic.
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