Mayer Hawthorne is bringing Retro back. | “Wish it Would Rain” Appreciation.

Crate Digging is AWESOME.

Mayer Hawthorne, a 29-year-old kid out of Ann Arbor, Michigan is making some interesting, high quality retro music right now. And I’m fairly picky about my Retro… if it’s not done right, it ends up sounding contrite and cheesy. But not Mayer. Falling into that “Authentic” range that VV Brown and Dan Brown seem to be wedging themselves into, Mayer channels some of the musical greats like Barry White, Issac Hayes and Curtis Mayfield, and has crafted his own special brand of authentic retro soul that is catchy and undeniable. And with Mark Ronson behind him (the dude that’s responsible for Amy Winehouse’s Epic “Back to Black” album), you know there’s very little fail involved.

A perfect example of this is his new single “Wish It Would Rain” (click that) from his album “A Strange Arrangement.” With a stunning piano arrangement reminiscent of an old Dramatics song, and a melancholy tonality that reminds me of Simply Red’s “Holding Back The Years,” Mayer spills his emotions over a relationship coming to an end… and his desire to hide the overwhelming sadness flooding his heart. Not only is the song itself amazing, but the video compliments it perfectly, giving the viewer get a glimpse into the sadness Mayer is trying to work through. Its one of those videos that made me appreciate the song even more. A rare feat to come by these days.

Definitely worth looking into.

And Mayer or anyone in his camp…. If you read this… I got $20 on the Piano Sheet Music for this song. Seriously. Someone get on that for me. Until then, I’m forced to listen to the instrumental version over and over. Actually… Thats not a horrible concept. LoL.

Have fun.