Song #74: Boyz II Men featuring Mariah Carey - "One Sweet Day"

Eugh, remember that awful cheesy I'll Make Love To You song? Boyz II Men did that, and apparently did a lot more. That's fucking scary. Read this shit:

Based on sales, Boyz II Men is the most successful R&B male vocal group of all time. They recorded five number 1 R&B successes between 1992 and 1997 and have sold more than 60 million albums.Three of its number 1 hits, "End of the Road", "I'll Make Love to You", and "One Sweet Day" (with Mariah Carey), set and exceeded records for the longest period of time a single remained scored at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100; "One Sweet Day" still holds the record.

That's from their Wikipedia page. Frightening how successful this crap was, man.

Anyway, I heard their other "hit" with Mariah Carey (god, she was even more of a joke in the nineties than she is now) whilst watching a top 10 on Vh1. For best funeral songs! Who makes these fucking things?
The point is that they could all sing incredibly well. Any record exec with his hands down his pants could tell you that. But there's no soul to this, despite that supposedly being in the title of their freakin' genre. It's all commercially-vying warbles and cheesy production. Next plz.

FINAL RATING (/10): 2.5

x
David

Song #18: Mayer Hawthorne - "Just Ain't Gonna Work Out"

So I'm on the street team for the Days Like This! festival, which is a festival happening in Sydney in early January. There's a really awesome line-up including The Cat Empire, Roots Manuva, Method Man & Red Man, The Black Seeds, Cat Power, Micachu, Cassette Kids...and this guy, Mayer Hawthorne. Buy your tickets right now from here, and visit the website!

Now, onto the matter of this young man.

Firstly, let's get this out of the way. Hawthorne has to have one of the most deceptive voices going around. The way his stylish croon oozes slick harmony and effortless falsetto woudl give you the idea of an original Motown king, as opposed to a bespectacled white 21st century boy. Still, let's move away from imagery for just a second - this is fucking beautiful.

The harmonies sooth over the lightly-toned electric guitar and the crackling drum loop, creating a tune that's punchy, soulful and the kind of pop masterwork that is critically overlooked these days.  The fact that this song could have been a hit in the sixties and seventies as well as one now shows transcendence as opposed to deriving - it's an undying, evergreen sound. This kind of music only comes around once in a blue moon, so this tiny pop gem needs to be cherished.

FINAL RATING (/10): 9.5

Mayer tours Australia next month, and his record A Strange Arrangement is out now. Also, check out the fucking seven inch you can get of this track:

God bless America.

xxxxxxx
David