It’s a bit rare for me to gush over a musician. What can I say? I’m pretty hard to please. But, when a fantastic artist comes along that I can’t stop listening to and talking about, I have to, well…talk about them! My current obsession: Mayer Hawthorne. I previously wrote about Mayer, http://heightslibrary.org/wordpress/music/?p=61, when I discovered his first CD, A Strange Arrangement. He’s been in my rotation ever since, but he has recently rocketed to the top of my playlist. Last May, Mayer released a free download of his EP, Impressions – The Covers. Of course I jumped on this and played the heck out of it! Just a few months later, his second full-length release, How Do You Do, was released. Let me tell ya, this CD is EXCELLENT! His music still has the same late ’60s-early ’70s soul vibe, but the grooveometer was definitely ratcheted up, with songs that make you wanna dance as you sing along! I also detected a bit of a Yacht Rock feel and a solid nod to the funk era. Mayer still croons and moves with his beautiful falsetto, but he now he’s showing his fans that he can also groove with the best of them.
I had the distinct pleasure of seeing Mayer this past Monday at the House of Blues; I had been waiting for this since I first heard A Strange Arrangement. I knew he would put on a good show, but I did not expect to be blown out of my socks by such an amazing performance. His voice, which sounds so achingly sweet on wax, is even sweeter live, in company with the great voices of The County, his band. He performed, it seemed, an even amount of songs from both of his LP releases and a few numbers from the EP. He even snuck in, Love in Motion, a song by SebastiAn on which Mayer performed guest vocals. That song nearly tore the house down! He’s a very funny guy and even took a moment to let the audience take pictures of him and The County. He also had his drummer take a picture of him, sitting in a leather lounge chair, in front of the audience. If you look close enough (he tweeted the pic), you can see three, crazily, adoring fans: Lovelyleslie, my daughter, and me! Mayer, for me, is the epitome of what music entertainer should be. He puts out fantastic music, that makes you feel good, his live show is spectacular and he seems very down-to-earth, to boot. You couldn’t ask for anything more.
Key tracks: The Walk, Can’t Stop, You’ve Got the Makings of a Lover, Hooked, No Strings, Henny & Gingerale, Little Person, You’re Not Ready
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