Mayer Hawthorne – A Strange Arrangement Review
Growing up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Andrew Mayer Cohen grew up around Detroit’s soul and jazz music. Now that he has his own band, Mayer Hawthorne and The County, the influence such music had on him is apparent. His debut album, A Strange Arrangement, is full of funky, soulful tunes. When he played his first two songs for Peanut Butter Wolf, the head of the Stones Throw label, Wolf thought they were remixes of late-1960’s songs. That’s how good Mayer Hawthorne is.
The album opens with an acapella prelude, setting the tone for the rest of the cd. The first full song is ‘A Strange Arrangement’, a swaying piano ballad featuring Cohen’s airy falsetto. As the lover story develops, soft drums come in to balance out the piano and backing vocals. Nothing about the song is unpredictable or original, but it is executed perfectly. It’s like when you see an Olympic diver pull out a perfect dive; nothing about it is unexpected, but the execution is so flawless that you’re still left in awe.
The next track, ‘Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out’, sounds like it’s being played from a record player. Through somewhat muffled drumbeats and a 1960’s radio voice, Mayer Hawthorne unfolds a soulful breakup tune. It also has an awesome, odd video.
‘Maybe So Maybe No’, the first single of the album, follows. While it’s pretty much more of the same type of song, it doesn’t seem to drag at all. It’s more upbeat than either of the previous two, adding horns on top of the piano and drums. The next song, “Your Easy Lovin’ Ain’t Pleasin’ Nothin”, is my personal favorite of the entire album. With a driving piano undertone and a cheerful horn hook, it catches you immediately and doesn’t let you go until the dance is over.
If I continue going song-by-song, it’ll get very redundant very quickly, so I’ll stop with that now. Suffice to say that although all the songs are extremely similar to one another, each has its own unique soul that it expresses shamelessly through its own two or three minutes. Every song on this album tells its own story with pure soulful bliss. I’ve never been a huge fan of soul or jazz music, so it surprises me how much I love this album. This will definitely be on my year-end list of favorite albums.
If you want to learn more about Mayer Hawthorne, check out his myspace.
Mayer Hawthorne – Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out
Mayer Hawthorne – Maybe So, Maybe No
Mayer Hawthorne – Your Easy Lovin’ Ain’t Pleasin’ Nothin’
Thanks for this! Too smooth.