The Hawthornes – The Hawthornes

The Hawthornes – The Hawthornes – Album Review

Now…it has been a minute y’all!  Not just since I wrote my last review, but specifically, since I wrote my last review on The Hawthornes, which traces back to the year 2014 for the album More Than Eyes Can See.  It’s more than twelve years ago at this point!  Wild to think about how time passes in situations like these.  We’re meeting them nearly halfway been the past and the present, taking a trip back to 2018 to have a listen to their self-titled record.  Why?  Why not!?!  If I haven’t heard it then it’s still new to me!

What I loved about pushing play on this album was that I got exactly what I was hoping for.  As “Truth 2 Power” starts to weave its tapestry of dope-ass Funk-Rock together, I thought to myself, ‘yep – for an album that’s already eight years old itself, it sounds perfectly fresh like it could have been created just yesterday.  Of course when you consider what the subject matter is speaking on…social injustices, social inequity, corruption and such…you’d have hoped the world would have ended up in a better place than it is right now, and it really sinks in just how much has occurred since The Hawthornes release back in 2018.  From the outside looking in, “Truth 2 Power” sure seems every bit as relevant today as it would have been back then…and if that’s the case, well, you should be listening to it just like I am, right?  Perfect – I’m so happy we agree.  For real…Rob Bowser (Drums) and Chris Freeman (Bass) get things kickin’ quickly and make “Truth 2 Power” sound appealing from the very first moments you’ll hear through a combination of skill and catchiness.  Mike Prescott (Guitar/Vox) adds all kinds of color to this cut through the cleverness of his guitar lines.  Then you’ve got the band’s brand-new singer Ade Herbert sounding like he’s got that similar mix of soul & style that Lenny Kravitz made famous, in addition to lyricism that hits hard with insight and messages that should absolutely be heard.  Add in some rap bars for extra beef and a solid finale…I mean, it’s all here…”Truth 2 Power” is an excellent start to this album.

If you’re listening closely, you’d swear a track like “Do Betta” has just as much in common with Jazz as it does with Funk/R&B…the musicianship is outstanding.  Once again, I love the lyricism and think the addition of Ade to the lineup worked out phenomenally well for The Hawthornes, dude’s got a great voice and he’s clearly willing to use it for the right reasons.  The guitar solo from Mike is straight up outta this world…it was a pretty even split for the instrumentation up til that point…they’re all all-stars – but that solo y’all…c’mon…that SOLO!  No matter how many times I spun my way through this track over this past week or so, “Do Betta” really felt like its appeal grew exponentially with each repetition, largely because of the skill involved straight across the board in this band.  The chops are EVERYWHERE you turn your head to listen, bass, drums, guitar, vocals…they’re pretty much always doing something cool, and while they’re able to flex their skills as individuals, they do it in a remarkably tight and unified way together as a band that is exactly as great as the sum of its parts.  I mean, “Do Betta” is a song about the strength of unity and togetherness to an extent, right?  Only seems fitting then that they show us what that sounds like through the music like they did on “Do Betta” if you ask me…this is a quality hybrid cut.

Mannnnnnnnn…listen to Rob just COOKIN’ back there on the drums in “After The Dance” when the rest of the room feels like it’s more or less at a standstill!  The Hawthornes apply a delicate touch when playing “After The Dance,” which dips a toe in potentially being a ballad before switching things up to a more energetic gear & eventually all the way back again.  Complete with an exquisite saxophone in the mix…I think they made an interesting choice with how they approached the solo on this cut if you ask me.  You get to that “come rock with me baby” moment as they head towards the third minute, and I suppose it felt like they could have absolutely chosen to go BIG with that spot, but they played it cool and kept things cohesively mellow instead.  I suppose my point is that just about all of y’all would have been tempted to throw the switch and set off the pyro…but either The Hawthornes showed some professional restraint, or left 15% on the table for “After The Dance” – I’ll let you decide when you listen.  Ade puts in another quality turn on the mic, and ”After The Dance” sweetens up the whole vibe.

Gonna give Mike the bonus points for “In Your Eyes” when it comes to my favorite instrumentation on this particular tune, but it should be noted that listening to The Hawthornes transition into the bridge around the 2:45 mark, is freakin’ fascinating, full stop.  It’s a wild moment in their music and the kind of shift in sound that genuinely makes a massive impact…like to the point where, if you thought “In Your Eyes” was a good track, it’s that very spot around 2:45 that would take this song from good to great.  I mean, I think the most you’ll find me conceding to you is that their opening track has still been their most noticeably accessible to all in terms of hooks, energy, and charisma…but they’ve been leaning pretty hard into a charm offensive as the album plays on, and you’ll find that works for The Hawthornes too.  Do I think people would be just as jazzed to listen to “In Your Eyes” as “Truth 2 Power?”  It’s not the kind of thing you can really compare…I’d say that it’s almost like the two songs would appeal to two entirely different sides of their spectrum in sound.  What they’ve nailed in the lineup of this record is the way the set-list flows and we transition there without it feeling jarring.  It’s smooth and it’s seamless, and there might not be a better song that “In Your Eyes” to highlight how far this record’s come already.

Adding in some distinct cultural spirit into the vibes of “Sway To The Music,” you’ll likely find this track to be one of The Hawthornes most upbeat and colorful tunes on the record.  So I’m out – I’m a Grunge kid.  Just kidding.  Yes, I was raised in the Grunge era and something like “Sway To The Music” is pretty much the antithesis of that whole sound…but I’ve come around to appreciating all kinds of music long ago.  Lucky for them, right?  Here’s what I know here…here’s some FACTS for you – The Hawthornes HAVE to know they’ve really created a track that’s perfect for grabbing that special someone you love for a dance party exclusively for two.  I’m tellin’ ya folks, try it out…you can hear Ade’s into it right from the get-go in his lyrics…this song is built for special moments and shared love.  No, I wouldn’t normally think that I’d dig a song like this as much as I do, but The Hawthornes just do things the way they should be done, and it’s wonderful to listen to such gifted & unified execution.  That’s the thing I’m always tellin’ you about on these pages of ours…when you commit, play with intention, and really dedicate yourself to the moment when it comes time to push record, you can come out with performances and songs that are game changers, where you audibly convince someone of listening to what they can no longer resist anyway.  “Sway To The Music” was the track I didn’t see coming…and dammit, I loved it.

What I’m really hoping is that this reach into the past of The Hawthornes catalog might mean something for the future ahead…because these dudes should be playing out there in the scene and makin’ music as the main thing, not the side thing.  You listen to a mesmerizing song like “Dances In The Rain” and you once again can’t help but realize you’ve never even come close to listening to the same thing twice on this album.  Each song has had its own distinct personality & sound, and you gotta admire the ambition in creating something with that kind of involved approach.  “Dances In The Rain” has that whole misty vibe to it…like it contains sound you’re trying to see, but it’s got that dusty kind of veil to it you can’t get through.  In a good way, of course, whatever that would be.  Listen…if you’re familiar with like, legends like the band Toto for example, you’d absolutely love “Dances In The Rain,” because this is the track that essentially confirms The Hawthornes can competently hang with such iconic talent.  The level of skill that it takes to put their tunes together has been exceptional, but it would all be for nothing if they didn’t have the chops that could pull it all off.  The Hawthornes have basically proven that you could spin a wheel full of genres and styles, it could land on any choice, and they’d find a way to fully entertain ya.  They nail the atmosphere of “Dances In The Rain” and display remarkable song-building start to finish.

Somewhere between TrackSevenBand and the Spin Doctors, with a pinch of Living Colour thrown in for good measure, you’ll find a cut like “Keep Pushing” thriving.  It’s the most Rock-tinged track we’ve heard from the band since the opener, so I suppose it’s fitting that “Keep Pushing” starts out the second half of The Hawthornes.  A plea to keep it movin’ physically, literally and metaphorically, “Keep Pushing” is about making progress, and the many reasons as to why you should break outta the rat race & find a rhythm that really works for you in this world.  Goin’ blue collar with “Keep Pushing” and putting out a song the working class can certainly relate to – this is that song you wanna turn UP as you peel outta the parking lot at your job on the way to start your weekend.  The real trick, is to find a way to turn your weekends into weekdays…that’s the dream, right?  Well – “Keep Pushing” until you get there!  This is a track that’s meant to be as motivational & inspirational as it is observatory & factual about how the grind can grind you down.  Complete with Chris’ P-H-A-T bass tones, and the soulful stylistic sound of Ade on the mic, they stomp this one out with the confidence of Rage Against The Machine, but armed with a smooth R&B/Rock vibe…you know, another hybrid tune…where The Hawthornes always excel.

A track like “Unstoppable” probably has a pretty damn widespread appeal to it as well.  Built upon a real empowering type of vibe that’ll make you wanna bust through the wall like the Incredible Hulk, I mean – honestly, this would totally work on some kind of massive superhero movie soundtrack.  Ring up The Hawthornes, Hollywood…where you at?  The Blues-Rock combo that they’re working with is seriously bad ass, but I also think that the main hook they’ve got in the chorus is likely one of the most single-worthy moments you’ll find in any track on this album.  Even the way the end this one is cool…bringing back the vocals for an Incubus-esque finish and bookend “Unstoppable” in that full-circle type of way.  I’m into it…”Unstoppable” is as potent and played with purpose as it is commercially viable, making this cut a wonderful multi-threat & one of the most significant candidates to be atop of many a playlist out there.  Just straight-up bold, intentional musicianship, from every member of the band, and that’s the precise approach you’d need to take to a track like “Unstoppable” to make it sound convincing, and if you couldn’t do that, you wouldn’t ever want to attempt playing this tune, you know what I mean?  This is one of those spots where The Hawthornes highlight how well they can pair their sound with the theme of their music…”Unstoppable” is the perfect example of a band that knows what they were going for from the concept to the execution, and when it came time to push record, they went in & KILLED it.

Oh…oh…OH – but what’s THIS?  If you wanna talk about an opening that’ll draw you in to listen, I think it’s gonna be “What If” – you can audibly FEEL how this is gonna be a special tune from the moment it starts.  “In my what ifs, I never wanted to see you” is a powerful line y’all…take a second or two to contemplate that.  Love the trumpet added into this tune, it’s downright essential to how much I dig this song.  Here’s more of WHY you should be listening to The Hawthornes though…because I think by the time you reach the halfway mark of the longest track on their album, you’ll likely feel that they’d still have to at least have a couple more moves up their sleeve to justify the extended length of this song.  Without enough variation or dynamics in a longer song, you can potentially burn things out too quickly.  I’ll admit…I don’t know that I always felt convinced that “What If” needed to be nearly seven minutes in length, but I was always happy to listen to it – that make sense?  I think it’s always pretty hard not to want a whole lot goin’ on in a track length of that magnitude, but The Hawthornes end up dialing things back again where you’d think they’d want to go ever bigger, like they did earlier on in “After The Dance.”  Like I said though, it’s not like I’m pushing skip here…I fully appreciate the way this track drifts into its self-reflective and contemplative atmosphere and how this song sets you adrift right into your thoughts.  Trumpet probably steals the show here for me when it comes right down to it, but I do like the sound of everything I hear.  Does it warrant being nearly seven minutes in length?  I’ll let you be the judge of that.

Would I take a seven minute “What If” over a four minute “Whatchugonedoo?”  Yeah…I think I would.  It’s a little less my thing than the majority of the rest by comparison I suppose, but I’d be the first to tell you that Ade is supplying a wild level of personality through his performance that is a hook unto itself.  “Whatchugonedoo” is more along the lines of something you’d hear in N.E.R.D. in that highly flashy & stylistic sense in terms of the sound, combined with that defined beat & pause approach that NO ONE can resist – not even me.  It’s like…half the time I’ve been listening to this track, I TRY to convince myself that it’s not really my thing, and by the time I reach the end and loop it back, I’m 100% into it all over again…so take anything I’ve said with a grain of salt.  I’m no more made of stone than you are.  Their consistency is a constant in their music, and with that to rely on, any cut on this record stands a chance of becoming your favorite.  “Whatchugonedoo” has the audible drip and the attitude to go along with it – I’d bet this would be another track that’ll surprise a few people out there, because I know it surprised me.  By the time I finally got around to writing this review, I felt convinced & way more than sure about “Whatchugonedoo” than I initially did, and felt like this song won me over handily through its stylized vibe.  Hell, I’d even go as far as to say this would also likely be another solid candidate to be a single.  It works with a hypnotic rhythm that’s seriously addictive & brings in some bulletproof bars in the middle.  If you crossed Pharrell and his old crew in N.E.R.D. and Black Thought with his crew in the Roots, you’d get something that would sound just like “Whatchugonedoo,” and c’mon now, you know that’d be cool.

For MY money, I think “Drive Me Wild” alone would have been worth the price of admission…so there’s that.  What an incredible tune!  There’s such texture and attention-grabbing tones to be found in this song, largely due to the killer choices that Prescott makes in the way he always seems to find the most unique way to add guitar into The Hawthornes tunes.  It’s that deadly bass & drum combo that pulls you in right away though, so let’s get that straight too.  The musicianship isn’t necessarily overtly complex, it’s designed with fluidity and intriguing sound in mind, which leads to what’s undeniably one of the most compelling cuts to listen to on The Hawthornes.  Creating a real story on the mic, Ade continues to reveal his charismatic energy and soulful sound with confidence.  The transition into the chorus is immaculate, the solo around the three-minute mark is exceptional and could very well be THE highlight of all on the album…and I also think it was smart to include a little spoken word in that moment too – you get it, there’s lots of stuff to love about this track.  That goes for the mix as well…listen to the backing elements of “Drive Me Wild” and how they shift from left to right & back again…it’s a win for them in the production realm just as much as in their performance.  If there’s an unsung hero in this lineup, it’s gonna be “Drive Me Wild” – this is an amazing discovery eleven tracks into a set-list of songs, and is certainly one of the tracks that has this record sounding as fresh as it does now, and will in the future.  It’s a challenging structure for the average everyday listener to an extent, but quality hooks are quality hooks y’all, and this comes fully equipped with a whole variety of sound you’ll be fascinated by.

Of the tracks on this album that are more than six minutes in length, I think I’m going with “Dances In The Rain” as my favorite of the three.  “What If” has some solid ideas, but it was harder to justify the length, and “Seduction” here at track twelve felt like it had a bit of a tougher time in figuring out which direction it would ultimately go in for a while.  Eventually it gets through what feels like somewhat of a wandering approach in its first half, and gets outright jaw-dropping as it proceeds from there to the end.  Listen to Rob’s drums!  Listen to Mike’s guitars!  “Seduction” nearly has a build that’s gradual to its potential detriment, but I think once you’ve crested the hill to see and hear what’s on the other side of this song’s personality, you’ll be every bit as astounded as I was.  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind a single thing I’m hearing in the first half, but I recognize it as being likely a little harder to follow for the masses to follow along with is all.  For the musicians out there, or those that dig uniqueness in the music you listen to, I’m sure you’ll find plenty to adore and appreciate in “Seduction.”  That switch around the 3:15 mark is brilliantly emphasized in the music, and the way this track goes on to such a noticeably fiery instrumental finale was magnificent…The Hawthornes get innovative all throughout this whole track, and just prior to the five minute mark, give you one of those BIG moments we’ve been craving as well.

Depending on where you’re tuning in from…you may or may not have a thirteenth track, called “Funky Gibber.”  It’s there for ya on Spotify, but either non-existent or hidden if you’re listening from Bandcamp – not sure which.  In any event, I get the sense that it’s kind of a bonus tune in a way…because we’d all agree that “Seduction” is the real finale, right?  “Funky Gibber” plays like the song you’d roll in the credits as everyone in the theater rubs the darkness out of their eyes in preparation to head back out into the daylight.  I’ve got no beef with it…I like the upbeat sound it has, it’s got a sunshine vibe to it, and the melody in the hook is super strong…lots of great things about it, yet it’s still a little out of place here.  “Seduction” comes out with such a serious and intense sound at the very end of it, that it’s actually tougher for us to accept a lighter & brighter vibe like “Funky Gibber” has a result, in my opinion.  Ain’t a bad tune by any stretch of the definition, but a finale it is not…so if it’s intended as a bonus, I can live with that.  Would it have easily slid into the lineup at different points earlier on?  Honestly, I think it probably could have…but hey, it is what it is.  Still a good tune, it just might not have the ability to make as much of an impact as it could have coming after the enormously adventurous ending of “Seduction.”

Now the only question we’re left with, is WHEN do we get that next album from The Hawthornes and what’s the hold up?  Everything on this second record sounds like the band thriving at the top of their game…and if there’s any justice in this world, we’ll get some more music from The Hawthornes one day.

Find more music by The Hawthornes at Spotify here:  https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kXjJLjkQzFpVSnf879He0

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