I recorded this for you guys in Charlottesville, VA for a 106.1 The Corner radio spot at my studio. I also included my credit information with your audio files, but if you are still looking to give credit where due, my name is James McLaughlin, and this was recorded in Charlottesville, VA.

While the AWB did an excellent remake, this is Isley Bros' original work.

Mayer is so slept on. This is my first time hearing this, and I'm beyond impressed. Rock it on out!!

Mayer Hawthorne had been talking for a while about releasing a free collection of cover songs for the web, and on May 11, 2011 he did just that via his Twitter account.  The collection is called Impressions and can be streamed and downloaded in the player above. Mayer's track by track descriptions are below.

1. Work To Do
This one features my live band, The County: Quentin Joseph on drums, Topher Mohr on guitar, Quincy McCrary on piano, and Joe Abrams on bass. It was recorded live in a radio station studio somewhere during our Winter 2010 US tour. The tapes recently surfaced, but nobody can remember exactly where we were. The song is originally by The Isley Brothers, and that’s the only version I was familiar with until we started playing it in our live shows and people would come up to us and say “hey, loved your cover of Average White Band!”.

2. Don’t Turn The Lights On
My favorite track from Chromeo’s latest LP. On the surface it’s an electro-funk, dance floor filler, but underneath is a brilliant love ballad with lyrics that reminded me of something from Tyrone Davis. Dave1 (of Chromeo) told me the song is about a guy who falls in love with a ghost, so I wanted my version to have an eerie, ghostly feel to it. Quincy McCrary played the creepy piano solo at the end.

3. You’ve Got The Makings Of A Lover
Textbook Northern Soul from a little known Dallas, Texas group called The Festivals. I was digging for records in NY with my homey DJ Kurse, and the shopkeeper played the 45 in the store. Both of us immediately ran up to the counter and said “yo! what is THAT?!”. The original version was recorded in the late 60s, and the mix isn’t very good. I wanted a version that I could bump. Quentin Joseph played the drums and we recorded them at Sam Beaubien’s studio in Detroit. That’s Sam playing the trumpet as well.

4. Fantasy Girl
This song was written and composed by an amazing man from Pasadena named Steve Salazar. He was born with a heart condition and passed away at the young age of 27. Before he died he recorded one incredible album of demos in the mid-70s with a band called Shorty’s Portion. Peanut Butter Wolf found a copy of the album and I loved it so much that he gave it to me (thanks Wolf!). The vinyl had a handwritten note tucked in the sleeve that was addressed to anyone who could help the band with management, a record deal, radio airplay, etc. I’d estimate there were less than 300 copies pressed. That’s my Dad playing pedal steel guitar and Topher Mohr shredding the guitar solo on my version.

5. Little Person
Jon Brion is not from this planet. He penned this song for the soundtrack to Charlie Kaufman’s film “Synecdoche, NY”. I didn’t get the film at all, but I really got the soundtrack. The original has only female vocal and piano, but I always heard a larger arrangement. Hubert Alexander played some of the piano and I did everything else.

6. Mr. Blue Sky
This one also features my band, The County, and was recorded live, in one take, in a tiny makeshift tent, at a festival in Dour, Belgium.

Impressions (The Covers EP)

Just a little mash-up/remix i made this evening. I don't own any rights.
Layered raps are a little loose :)

NYCC - Keep A Light in My Window / Jurassic5 - Graubrot Remix

Buy 12"

Brenda Russel - A Little Bit Of Love (Souleance "C'est La Fête" Re-Edit)FREE DOWNLOAD

Pre-order Bobby Caldwell & Jack Splash's "Cool Uncle": https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/cool-uncle/id1049141097?uo=4&at=1001l3Iq&app=itunes

Pre-order Bobby Caldwell & Jack Splash's "Cool Uncle" on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Bobby_Caldwell_Jack_Splash_Cool_Uncle?id=Bklpvt32cbcx75dbyl7zkr75eoy&PAffiliateID=1101l3z7

Download

Cool Uncle (Bobby Caldwell & Jack Splash) - Game Over (feat. Mayer Hawthorne)

Buy / Stream the single: https://BBEmusic.lnk.to/TheOnlyDifference

Powerful, infectious and oh-so-timely in its lyrical subject matter, ‘The Only Difference’ is the first single introducing ‘Heavy Rocking Steady’, the forthcoming album from Beatchild & The Slakadeliqs.

Modern soul music performed and arranged in the truest R&B tradition, songwriter Byram Joseph (aka Slakah The Beatchild) is joined on lead vocals by fellow Canadian artist Justin Nozuka whose clean, pure vocal tone lends a new dimension to the song. A forceful call for unity in these uncertain times, ‘The Only Difference’ is driven by dusty piano and rattly acoustic drums, soon joined by a chorus of backing vocals, giving the track a distinctly live feeling.

Beatchild & The Slakadeliqs ft. Justin Nozuka - The Only Difference

This one features my live band, The County: Quentin Joseph on drums, Topher Mohr on guitar, Quincy McCrary on piano, and Joe Abrams on bass. It was recorded live in a radio station studio somewhere during our Winter 2010 US tour. The tapes recently surfaced, but nobody can remember exactly where we were. The song is originally by The Isley Brothers, and that’s the only version I was familiar with until we started playing it in our live shows and people would come up to us and say “hey, loved your cover of Average White Band!”.

Work To Do

My favorite track from Chromeo’s latest LP. On the surface it’s an electro-funk, dance floor filler, but underneath is a brilliant love ballad with lyrics that reminded me of something from Tyrone Davis. Dave1 (of Chromeo) told me the song is about a guy who falls in love with a ghost, so I wanted my version to have an eerie, ghostly feel to it. Quincy McCrary played the creepy piano solo at the end.

Don't Turn The Lights On

3. You’ve Got The Makings Of A Lover
Textbook Northern Soul from a little known Dallas, Texas group called The Festivals. I was digging for records in NY with my homey DJ Kurse, and the shopkeeper played the 45 in the store. Both of us immediately ran up to the counter and said “yo! what is THAT?!”. The original version was recorded in the late 60s, and the mix isn’t very good. I wanted a version that I could bump. Quentin Joseph played the drums and we recorded them at Sam Beaubien’s studio in Detroit. That’s Sam playing the trumpet as well.

You've Got The Makings Of A Lover

This song was composed by an amazing man from Pasadena named Steve Salazar. He was born with a heart condition and passed away at the young age of 27. Before he died he recorded one incredible album of demos in the mid-70s with a band called Shorty’s Portion. Peanut Butter Wolf found a copy of the album and I loved it so much that he gave it to me (thanks Wolf!). The vinyl had a handwritten note tucked in the sleeve that was addressed to anyone who could help the band with management, a record deal, radio airplay, etc. I’d estimate there were less than 300 copies pressed. That’s my Dad playing pedal steel guitar and Topher Mohr shredding the guitar solo on my version.

Fantasy Girl

Jon Brion is not from this planet. He penned this song for the soundtrack to Charlie Kaufman’s film “Synecdoche, NY”. I didn’t get the film at all, but I really got the soundtrack. The original has only female vocal and piano, but I always heard a larger arrangement. Hubert Alexander played some of the piano and I did everything else.

Little Person

This one also features my band, The County, and was recorded live, in one take, in a tiny makeshift tent, at a festival in Dour, Belgium. 

Mr. Blue Sky

As played by Gilles Peterson on 6 Music and Radio 1

Nancy Wilson - I'm in Love (Mark Wayward edit)

Taken from the album 'Soul Messin' (Freestyle Records)

This Girl feat. Kylie Auldist

Look who's back! Just in time for your late summer soirées, Doug "Master Plan" Shorts offers up another pair of modern soul movers guaranteed to tear up the club and backyard boogie-downs alike. The A-Side, Get with the Program, drops hard with a bass line and groove reminiscent of ESG at their best, but the relaxed feel and smooth vocal lend the tune a sophistication that elevates it to another level altogether. As Doug pleads with his potential lover to "Get with the Program" it's hard not to imagine that he's also speaking to the greater soul community. For those not already down with Doug's program, now's the time...act like ya know!  On the flip we find our protagonist pleading with yet another prospective ladylove, this time accompanied by a bouncy, mid-tempo groove and Mary Jane-esque synth line. "Heads or Tails" would have been well at home on Chicago's boogie scene in the early '80s, but it doesn't ever sound dated. Both sides of this superlative disc drip with positive vibes and unassailable groove.  Summer of 2019 NEEDS this record! http://dapt.one/DSEP

Get With The Program / Heads or Tails

Doug Shorts "Get With The Program"

AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD HERE: http://thedecoders.bandcamp.com/track/i-am-the-black-gold-of-the-sun

Riding on the heels of their 1st single off of Vol 2 (Walk On By) with its orchestral soul arrangements, the 2nd single from Vol 2, Rotary Connection's "I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun, is an ode to the beautifully epic orchestral arrangements of producer Charles Stepney.  

But this time, The Decoders have decided to venture into the Brazilian repertoire, incorporating Samba and Jazz elements into the group's psychedelic soul arrangement.  

This version features Adrian Younge's "Venice Dawn" vocalists Loren Oden and Brooke De Rosa on vocals, as well as Jungle Fire's Steve Haney on percussion and Brazilian musician Quetzal Guerrero on percussion and berimbau.

The artwork for the single is an original painting by Los Angeles based artist Michelle Robinson.  Michelle's work has been praised by Cee-Lo Green, among others.  For more info, check out her website here: http://www.michellizm.com/


CREDITS:

Produced by The Decoders

Loren Oden
Lead Vocals, Background Vocals

Brooke De Rosa 
Background Vocals 

Itai Shapira 
Bass, Guitars, Synth, Vocal Arrangements 

Todd M. Simon 
Trumpet, Horn Arrangements 

Adam Berg 
Piano 

Tracy Wannomae 
Saxophone

Thomas Lea 
Violin, Viola 

Steve Haney
Percussion

Quetzal Guerrero
Berimbau

Blake Colie 
Drums 

Engineered by Itai Shapira and Adam Berg at Manifest Music 
Additional engineering by David Burris at Manifest Music 
Mixed by Itai Shapira and Adam Berg at Manifest Music 
Mastered by Adam Berg at Manifest Music 

Originally written and recorded by Rotary Connection (1971) 

Michelle Robinson: Original Artwork • Anthony Valadez: Cover Art Design



I Am The Black Gold of the Sun

Official audio for Mayer Hawthorne’s “Rare Changes”

Stream "Rare Changes" here: https://mayerhawthorne.lnk.to/RareChanges

Text Mayer: +1 (323) 402-5291

Click to subscribe for the latest tracks from Mayer Hawthorne: smarturl.it/MayerYouTubeSub

____

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Twitter: http://twitter.com/MayerHawthorne
SoundCloud: http://soundcloud.com/MayerHawthorne

____

Lyrics:
It’s been a long time
Nothing happening nothing at all
Thanking the Lord but it’s still Wednesday
Singing the same song
Got me bouncing my head off the wall
Counting the carats on your Cartier

Holding hands and
Waiting for the rare changes
To take us out of the loop
So romantic
Leavin’ on a vacation
But I’ll be home soon

It’s been a long time
Nothing happening, same as before
Am I awake or am I sleeping
Over and over
‘Til I think I can’t take any more
Love you forever
Wouldn’t change a thing

Play high key
Surprise me
Let’s eat birthday cake on a whim
We’ll tandem
At random
This diet is wearing us thin but we’re

Holding hands and
Waiting for the rare changes
To take us out of the loop
So romantic
Leavin’ on a vacation
But we’ll be home real soon

Changes
Waiting for the changes
Waiting for the rare changes


____

Welcome to the official Mayer Hawthorne Channel. Mayer Hawthorne is a Grammy-nominated, singer, songwriter, DJ, and producer based in Los Angeles, CA. His fourth studio album - Man About Town – was released on Vagrant/BMG in April 2016. Mayer's past albums were released on Stones Throw Records and Republic Records. He also performs as part of Tuxedo and Jaded Incorporated.

Rare Changes

The 'Rare Changes' LP is out now: https://mayerhawthorne.lnk.to/RareChanges

Work To Do

Mayer Hawthorne

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