Soul So New

During most of last spring I went through this weird ska/reggae/dancehall phase, where it was pretty much all I wanted to listen to. A friend of mine told me about Rude Radio (a program that had just about everything I wanted to listen to) on Radio K, a student-run radio station from Minnesota. I listened to Rude Radio pretty regularly after I found out about it, but it wasn't until I discovered their program On the Corner that I became a faithful weekly listener.

On the Corner has it all. DJ Phizzy and crew are there every Tuesday from 8-10, playing nothing but the best in soul, hip-hop, jazz, funk, and R&B. I was hooked after the first show I heard. Other than the stellar track list each week, the guys at OTC bring something special to the show with the personal attention paid to the fans and regular listeners. I'd been listening to the show for a few months and thought I'd put in a request and see what happened. Within an hour, I got a reply to my e-mail saying they'd love to play my song (Syreeta Wright's 'Cause We've Ended Now as Lovers' - not exactly a well-known track) and actually got a shout-out on the show after they played my track. These guys know what they're doing and they know how to keep fans of the show happy, which is something you can't expect from larger stations. OTC is also where I first heard about Mayer Hawthorne, the newest artist on the Stone's Throw label.















I had a chance to see MH, along with his band - The County, last night at The Waiting Room. Hawthorne has so much soul, it's hard to control. One of the things I love about MH is his persona. When he steps onto the stage in his Lacoste dress shirt and blazer, wearing those dark-rimmed glasses, holding his bottle of Hennessy, you get the impression that he's all gentleman. The truth is, he's there to get down, and that's exactly what he does. Good hip-hop shows in Omaha are few and far between, and good soul is even more scarce. I expected the crowd at the show to be...well, me and the few friends I'd insisted go with me, but I was pleasantly surprised with the turn out. With tambourine in hand, he got the entire crowd moving.


MH and The County, barbershop quartet style.

He played most of the songs from his new record, A Strange Arrangement, as well as an amazing cover of Mr Blue Sky. This show was everything I hoped it would be and more and I even got my red heart-shaped single for It Just Ain't Gonna Work Out signed by Mayer himself, with a note that reads Dearest Megan, all my love, MH. Priceless.


A live performance of Green-Eyed Love.

The album's got it all, from the slow soul jams like A Strange Arrangement and I Wish it Would Rain to the more uptempo numbers like Your Easy Lovin' Ain't Pleasin' Nothin' and The Ills. There's a little something for everyone. What Mayer brings to the stage isn't just hip-hop or neo-soul, nor is it simply a throwback to the old sixties soul sound; it's a mixture of all of these things...with a new flavor.