Mayer Hawthorne may not be the newest of news to you, but as I have been digging him lately I wanted to share a post on him in hopes of having you check out his music for the first time, or revisit some of his songs again. Hawthorne, born Andrew Cohen, has released two 12″ singles (Just Ain’t Going to Work Out/When I Said Goodbye”, and “Maybe So, Maybe No”/”I Wish It Would Rain”) in the past two years, and a full length A Strange Arrangement on Stones Throw Records.

Hawthorne’s throwback sound originated in Detroit where he claims “most all the best music comes out of”, and after listening to his “time travel” of an album on which he plays most all the instruments, it is hard to disagree, if for a moment, if for the long haul. His backing band The County, is a seven piece ensemble that are the x-factor in Hawthorne’s ability to transport a listener to a speak easy circa sixty years ago, and motivate said listener to feel the urge to go shopping for vintage suits and dresses when seeing him live.

Above all, Mayer Hawthorne creates ATMOSPHERE (write this word down, as it is hard to come by an artist with such an overwhelmingly embodying sound in today’s scene). Him and The County do this so very well, with such ferocious tenacity that most listeners are sure he is just re-editing or covering songs from a past time period. Hats off to you good sir.

• The Sonorus