Let’s see, where do I even begin with this album? Since I do not do album reviews often I usually only do them on albums I like and I have been bumping this non-stop the past couple weeks. He single-handedly is attempting to bring back the Motown/oldies sound and is making it hot again. I really think Mayer Hawthorne will be that dude in the near future or is right now, you know the one everyone is talking about and if you haven’t heard of him you feel like you aren’t cool anymore because you have been missing out on the newest indie music. Read below for a track by track breakdown and assessment of the album.

Prelude/Strange Arrangement

The title song sets the tone for the direction this album will take from the get go. The prelude offers a lot of vocal harmonizing with a doo wop feel to it and it transitions seamlessly into “Strange Arrangement”. Mayer chooses to croon in his lower (natural) voice instead of the falsetto and he keeps it mellow with his voice and the harmonizing background voices over a slow, sad sounding piano. Fitting considering even the more upbeat tracks often tell the tale of love lost.

Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out

Which brings me to “Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out” which was the lead single and features Mayer’s signature falsetto over a smooth bassline and perfectly placed guitar chords.  He starts it with a deeper voice in the beginning over a simple drum beat letting his girl know that it “Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out”. This song sounds like it is more upbeat; nonetheless, he is singing about a break up with his girlfriend and make it catchy.

Maybe So, Maybe No

Mayer leads this song off with a dreamy sounding synth and him singing the title lines but then it immediately breaks into a song that you can easily groove to. The track utilizes different aspects of the Motown sound with some strategic horn blasts and a faster tempo. This song is his second single and relates more to the confusion of love rather then the common theme of love lost.

Your Easy Lovin’ Ain’t Pleasin’ Nothin’

Here is one of the fastest tempo songs on the album and it begins with a “Heat Wave” inspired drum break that Mayer immediately utilizes into mimicking the Motown sound the best out of all the tracks. The tambourine (yeah, I just wrote that and it was an integral part of the sound) is in full effect, as well as horn blasts and even a saxophone solo and playing during the chorus. Despite the title, he keeps the lyrics innocent the whole time and really captures the feeling that your parents and all of you will like, and I mean that in the best of ways since I played this for my parents and unlike most of my hip-hop songs they didn’t ask that “I turn down that racket” lol.

I Wish It Would Rain

No, this isn’t a cover of the Temptations’ song that I grew up hearing, but it is in the same vein. The emotional roller coaster continues because with this song he keeps it mellow and wishes for rain so that it could cover up his tears. He is singing in his now very recognizable falsetto and again is singing over a rolling, melancholy piano that makes you want to cry yourself to sleep haha. After many listens of the album this could be my favorite song on the whole album.

Make Her Mine

“Make Her Mine” features Mayer in a more upbeat tune thinking optimistically about getting a girl this time instead of losing one. His voice is even more interesting than before because he sings in a lower falsetto then the previous track, kind of in between his natural voice and his falsetto, and it sounds smooth as hell. The piano plays the melody and again his back up band, The County, provide some horn accompaniment.

One Track Mind

Again, I think of the oldies sound (throughout the whole album really) immediately with the piano playing and the hand claps. This time Mayer is more whimsical with his lyrics, talking about how his girl thinks more about shopping then him, but she’s still so fine haha. The County takes over harmonizing throughout the chorus and a lot of the song in the background. This song is also more upbeat and probably one of the more simplisitic songs with handclaps, the drums and vocals being the highlights.

The Ills

In this song Mayer strays the furthest from his oldies sound as this sounds more like a 70’s song on Motown haha. So from the 60’s to the 70’s we go with the song prominently featuring fast percussion (congas maybe?) at the beginning and throughout the track along with some more horns and the signature falsetto. More differentiating features of this song include the switching up of the flasetto and natural voice as well as the message of “The Ills” of the world getting you down and getting back up, no more love stories here.

Shiny & New

Immediately we are catapulted back to an older sounding song with the slow string loop at the beginning and the talk about love. I don’t think we have heard some strings yet on any track and he incorporates them nicely. For a slower sounding song he conveys an upbeat message about how his love makes him feel good about himself.

Let Me Know

Mayer’s voice is about as deep as you will hear it all album on this song and he switches up his tone throughout the song. The track sounds like he almost talking to you throughout the verses because you have become so used to his falsetto and singing voice. The band plays a simplistic beat in the background with simple guitar chords, vocals and a drum beat driving the majority of the track. In typical fashion the song is short and sweet, which is a hallmark of Mayer’s songs.

Green Eyed Love

Here is the supposed 3rd single from the album and it is features a prominent bassline lazily moving along with the accompaniment of some keys. The falsetto is in full effect and Mayer’s lyrics channels the confusion of his relationship well, you don’t know whether he should be with the girl or not yourself after hearing the song tons of times. I am digging the guitar solo in this song too, there aren’t many solos for instruments throughout the album but this is one of the few opportunities and it meshes well with the overall sound.

Rating/Summary

8.8/10

Mayer captures the feeling of Motown songs well and reinvents them into his own unique sound to make one hell of an album. The songs are short and sweet and Mayer tackles different sounds with his falsetto, natural singing voice and every vocal range in between. There are fast songs and slow songs, happy and sad, really all you could ask for from an R&B singer’s album. I am glad to see a hip-hop label like Stones Throw taking a chance on an different sounding artist and getting it right. If you haven’t already go BUY this album immediately and make it to one of his shows because it will be worth it. Check below for a few of the tracks.

“Your Easy Lovin’ Ain’t Pleasin’ Nothin’”

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“I Wish It Would Rain”

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“Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out”

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