Mayer Hawthorne grew up just outside of Detroit, and vividly remembers, as a child, driving with his father and tuning the car radio in to the rich soul and jazz history the region provided. "Most of the best music ever made came out of Detroit," claims the Ann Arbor-born and bred 30 year-old singer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, who counts Isaac Hayes, Leroy Hutson, Mike Terry, and Barry White among his infuences, but draws the most inspiration from the music of Smokey Robinson, Curtis Mayfeld, and the legendary songwriting and production trio of Dozier, Holland, and Holland Jr. Stones Throw head Peanut Butter Wolf signed Hawthorne believing his work was re-edits of lost gems from the classic soul era, not realising he'd written, arranged, produced and played most of the instruments as well as singing. Hawthorne's hanging-by-a-string falsetto and breakbeat production on his first recorded effort, the tender Just Ain't Gonna Work Out, are simultaneously Smokey and J Dilla - equal parts The Tracks of My Tears and Fall in Love. "It's soul," he explains, "But it's new." Hawthorne has produced and played instruments for much of his life, but never intended to become a singer. But here he is, new school soul sensation, who has taken the Motown assemblyline production model and eliminated nearly every element but himself and a few hired hands. And for those willing to believe anything is possible, be grateful to have Mayer Hawthorne on the scene. It's not just throwback music anymore - this revival is all about progression.