I’m always going to have a soft spot in my heart for Mayer Hawthorne, because I’m always going to remember that cold, rainy October day in Austin when I was getting cabin fever and decided to take a chance on an act that had just been signed to Stones Throw. Red 7 didn’t have a large crowd that night, but those that did brave the rain were treated to a really fun show. “I was there” stories are easy to blow out of proportion, and that’s not even the kind of story I’m trying to tell. It’s more a story about a guy and his band bringing a great mix of musicianship, charm, and whole lot of fun to their set, when they could have easily phoned it in on an otherwise crappy night. They didn’t though, and that stuck with me. The kid from Michigan with an ear for classic soul songwriting just came out and had fun with it, and so did the audience. It’s that combination of talent and the obvious joy within the music that makes Hawthorne so appealing.

Hawthorne grew up in Michigan, and the influence of Holland-Dozier-Holland Motown songwriting upon his own music is no secret. It doesn’t stop there, though, as How Do You Do also demonstrates affinities for acts such as Hall and Oates, ELO, and Barry White as well. It’s not a huge departure from his debut album,A Strange Arrangement, but rather an expansion of that sound. His notoriety has grown since the first time I saw him, with a tour schedule that never stops and word of mouth doing a great deal to help him out. The spoken intro on the opening track, “Get To Know You,” is just a little awkward, as he speaks to his date about not letting the night end, but then again, I think anybody but Barry White doing that sounds awkward. I’ll admit that I was the slightest bit nervous, but once you get past that you get a sweet ballad. Plus, Hawthorne sings in falsetto, which is one of his fortes. While most of Hawthorne’s material is of the love song variety, he occasionally sneaks some social awareness into his songs. On A Strange Arrangement, he had “The Ills,” which discussed issues such as Hurricane Katrina. On How Do You Do, he has “A Long Time,” a touching song about the struggles that Detroit has gone through. It’s an optimistic song, though, as the chorus declares that he believes the city will be restored to its former glory, it’s just won’t happen overnight. The weirdest song on the album is far and away “Can’t Stop,” which features Snoop Dogg. Granted, Snoop sings and doesn’t rap on the track, and it’s better than I expected, but it’s still pretty awkward. More than anything, the song sounds like it’s trying too hard to be sexy instead of just being sexy, which is a huge difference. I appreciate that Hawthorne is trying to expand his sound, and some efforts work better than others, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy his Motown-style songs the best. They just sound effortless, and immediately feel familiar, with “The Walk” and “Hooked,” being the most obvious examples. Hawthorne clearly understands what makes the songwriting and arranging of this style of music work well, and it’s definitely where he’s most comfortable. Some critics feel the need to attack Hawthorne’s voice, but I don’t think it’s really necessary. He’s not a vocalist by trade, but he’s found a style that works for him, and his falsetto is nice. His writing and arranging skills are so strong that his vocals can just become part of the song, and they aren’t forced to carry any weaker material.

A Strange Arrangement featured a young artist with talent and good ideas figuring things out. How Do You Do shows Hawthorne as more confident and polished, and I’m sure all the time on the road helped in that regard. He took a few chances on the record, and some worked better than others, but overall he played to his strengths. While there are other retro-soul acts out there, few can match Hawthorne’s genuine love of playing and performing, and that’s why I’ll always root for him.