ALBUM REVIEW: Mayer Hawthorne - How Do You Do

By Steve Jones.

(oh wow, my first review on this blog. better make it not SUCK)
(it's going to suck)

Soul is a multi-faceted genre, but part of what I listen for in any combination of rhythm and blues is (theoretically speaking) how much babymaking could get done to this music.  Therefore, it was a good sign when the opening track to Mayer Hawthorne's How Do You Do begins with our hero leading a young lady into his bedchambers so that he can "get to know" her better.

Mayer Hawthorne loves Motown.  One only needs to hear his 2009 debut A Strange Arrangement to figure that out. Although that album really wore its references on its sleeve and walked that fine line between "faithful" and "derivative," I still found it to be a breath of fresh air when compared to the kinds of revivalism being embraced by the masses (COUGH synth pop COUGH).  It was good, but not great.  Then, earlier this year, Mayer released a free EP of covers which expanded on his sound and overall seemed a step in the right direction.

That brings us to the album in question: Mayer's second LP and first major-label outing, How Do You Do.  To put it simply, if you enjoyed A Strange Arrangement, I see no reason why you won't enjoy this one.  The sound is still soaked in funk, soul, R&B, and other means of smoothness, but it improves upon many of the qualms I had with his first record.  Mayer's voice, which was nice and buttery with a soft falsetto to begin with, sounds more confident and more expressive on this record.  One of the lead singles, "The Walk," has him really playing with intonation, and it results in an amusing narrative about the end of a clearly destined-to-fail relationship.  The arrangements are still great, often layering strings and horns to create a lot of subtly interesting color, but they benefit a lot from the better production values on this album.  One of the weakness of A Strange Arrangement was that many songs didn't pack the kind of sonic punch their arrangements implied, but How Do You Do is a much fuller sounding excursion.

This album, while certainly no departure in sound, explores a bit in terms of genre and style, and this seems to be a logical step after the earlier Impressions EP.  The more contemporary flavor of R&B can be found in "Can't Stop," a track which features Snoop Dogg on vocals, but in such a way that I had no idea it was him on my first few listens.  "Dreaming" fully embraces pure sunshine pop, with a driving staccato piano line reminiscent of ELO's "Mr. Blue Sky."  The iTunes bonus track "Henny & Gingerale" veers more into the hip-hop instrumental side of funk.  But, again, the heart of this album is soul.

How Do You Do's strength lies in being a startlingly accurate modern interpretation of that Motown sound, but that also may be its weakness.  While I do feel Mayer develops more of a voice of his own in this record, this is still music deeply steeped in the past.  There is nothing really "new" here--no overt experimentation, no challenging of conventions (unless you consider saying "shitty fucking attitude" innovative).  There are hints of a merging of old and new, but the music here comes across more as a love letter to artists like Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, Isaac Hayes, and so on.  It's fun, accessible, and great to dance to (having seen him live twice, I can personally confirm that last statement).  If I was seeing a bunch of "nu-Motown" records pop up, I'd probably be less enthused about this one, but, for the time being, Mayer Hawthorne is unique in his faithful revivalism.

There's absolutely nothing on this record I hate, but the songs towards the middle suffer from not being very memorable, especially when compared to stellar tracks like "The Walk," "No Strings," and "A Long Time."  "No Strings" is the best babymakin' track on here, because it's not about love or relationships--it's just about sex.

How Do You Do isn't revolutionary, but if you're a fan of smoothness, you should be listening to and loving Mayer Hawthorne.

Score: Decent 8

 

What do you think about this album?