Saturday, October 10, 2009

Out and about in New Orleans

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.

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25 comments:

  1. KellybelleOctober 10, 2009 at 12:59 PM

    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.

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  2. lawegohardOctober 10, 2009 at 2:08 PM

    ^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.

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  3. lawegohardOctober 10, 2009 at 2:25 PM

    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!"

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  4. Max ReddickOctober 10, 2009 at 4:03 PM

    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.

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  5. CNuOctober 10, 2009 at 4:23 PM

    hanging with, or pushing up on?

    (^; tee,hee,hee,hee,hee.....,

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  6. Obie Joe MediaOctober 10, 2009 at 5:21 PM

    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.

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  7. bklyn6October 10, 2009 at 6:14 PM

    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?

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  8. Geneva GirlOctober 10, 2009 at 10:39 PM

    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.

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  9. Undercover Black ManOctober 11, 2009 at 6:29 AM

    Chutzpah... an interesting image... good marketing...

    Shoot, GG... that's how Obama got over!

    :^o

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  10. Undercover Black ManOctober 11, 2009 at 6:45 AM

    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.

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  11. Undercover Black ManOctober 11, 2009 at 7:42 AM

    Does that mean he won't be on a Jewish soul brothers playlist?

    Not ahead of Lewis Taylor he won't!

    ;^)

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  12. Undercover Black ManOctober 11, 2009 at 8:29 AM

    And for those of you interested... here's the original "Maybe So, Maybe No" from 1969.

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  13. bklyn6October 11, 2009 at 8:50 AM

    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

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  14. Undercover Black ManOctober 11, 2009 at 8:59 AM

    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.

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  15. bklyn6October 11, 2009 at 9:09 AM

    ^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.

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  16. daughterofthedreamOctober 11, 2009 at 8:38 PM

    Aww, Lewis Taylor! Another one bites the dust

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  17. ronnie brownOctober 11, 2009 at 8:43 PM

    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...

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  18. Undercover Black ManOctober 12, 2009 at 2:21 AM

    ^ You mean like that dude in the Revelations?

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  19. lawegohardOctober 12, 2009 at 1:12 PM

    ^OMG. Awesomeness. (Tre)

    K-CI and Jo Jo) (from Jodeci), Anthony Hamilton, Maxwell...

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  20. ronnie brownOctober 13, 2009 at 3:25 AM

    yeah...like that dude in Revelations!

    i will have to investigate this Lewis Taylor though...

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  21. Eurasian SensationOctober 14, 2009 at 7:37 AM

    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".

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  22. Undercover Black ManOctober 14, 2009 at 8:55 AM

    ^ 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.

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  23. Eurasian SensationOctober 14, 2009 at 10:14 PM

    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.

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  24. Undercover Black ManOctober 15, 2009 at 8:09 AM

    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!

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  25. Eurasian SensationOctober 15, 2009 at 11:35 PM

    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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