If you look at the press photos of Mayer Hawthorne without prior knowledge of the music this diminutive fellow from Ann Arbor, Michigan makes, it would be forgivable to think him a fairly nondescript indie kid, and assume therefore perhaps a certain level of vapidness. On first sight, he does seem like a cross between Graham Coxon and Marcus Brigstocke, with a possible air of Mark from Peep Show.
Even before he opens his mouth to sing in Zurich’s Mascotte venue, such gross misconceptions are lanced. Sporting a grey three-piece suit, he bounds on stage with his band, The County, with a swagger worthy of Lupe Fiasco. Woah now, maybe not quite that impressive, but the fact remains that Mayer Hawthorne is a soulful cat whose music takes its cue from and is so reminiscent of to be a tribute to, the best ‘classic’ soul, from Marvin Gaye to Curtis Mayfield to Leroy Hutson and especially, Barry White. His live show is fascinating, and tonight achieves the rare feat of splitting the audience in two: one half is gleefully dancing away just as The Mayer voraciously demands of them, and the other half stands nearly stock-still, transfixed on nothing except the interplay between all the elements of this supreme five-piece, who add subtlety and melody to a sound based on imperious retro funk.
Mayer Hawthorne’s real name is Andrew Cohen, and from those Michigan beginnings now lives in Los Angeles. After his spell as an integral member of hip hop groups Now On and Athletic Mic League, he decided to embrace his inner Isaac Hayes with his widely fawned-over debut album A Strange Arrangement, the result. It’s an album of gleeful soul and funk, with rhythmic qualities that recall his hip hop past, and benefits from being on Stones Throw records: an instant mark of credibility if ever there was one.
He opens tonight with lead single ‘Maybe So, Maybe No’, before launching through most of The Strange Arrangement. Aside from evidently being a great scholar of the soul tradition, Hawthorne appears to be a devilishly talented songwriter in his own right. ‘Green Eyed Love’ and the quite fantastic ‘When I Said Goodbye’ are almost worthy of a place on a Motown record circa ’72. Berry Gordy would be all over this. A decidedly odd moment occurs when The County launch into ‘My Blue Sky’ by ELO, mind you, ensuring his genre-crossing knows few boundaries.
The Mayer had to work extra hard to break through the infamous Swiss reserve and provoke what was a large audience into engaging with him. He did so, through a combination of infectious energy in his effortlessly soulful jiving on stage and his occasional ‘bringing it down’, becoming an instant lothario figure paying homage to White and Hayes. “This is a song all about lurrrrve,” he purrs. “So get with your lurrrrvers”.
It would be all too easy to tar a young white boy doing this sort of thing with cynical accusations of mere imitation and gimmickry. Not so. If the album is not enough to convince of his passion and his belief that music is a benevolent force of celebration, see him and The County live. It’s not all seduction – he does incorporate social commentary on the odd tune, such as ‘The Ills’ – but it is nigh on impossible not to fall for his fancy moves.
