Album Mini-review: Mayer Hawthorne — Man About Town
File next to: Marvin Gaye, The Dramatics, Fitz and the Tantrums
On his 2009 debut, Detroiter Mayer Hawthorne showed just how developed an artist he was; that album – wholly realized on a laptop – was an effective pastiche of classic soul and r&b. The highlight of Hawthorne’s résumé up to that point was his membership in underground hip-hop collectives Athletic Mic League and Now On; that fact made A Strange Arragement all the more amazing. Since that time, he’s made three more albums, an EP and a pair of side projects. Along the way, Hawthorne dabbled in a kind of more mainstream pop. But with Man About Town, he’s returned to the retro-soulful approach that won him plaudits. His romantic, upbeat and generally optimistic point of view shines through on the disc’s ten songs, and in his own way, this accomplished vocalist/musician is turning out timeless soul that synthesizes his influences into pop for modern audiences.
About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). The interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- more than 30 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, will be published in 2021 by HoZac Books.