Tuxedo: Tuxedo (Mayer Hawthorne, Jake One) Vinyl 2LP

Mayer Hawthorne and Jake One are Tuxedo! Seems like an eternity ago that Mayer’s ‘Just Ain’t Working Out’ heart shaped 7 that was more unlimited than it was limited (ahem) dropped and made the heads go nuts. His modern soul approach to a vintage sound revived Stones Throw and is credited as one of the third wave artists that really catapulted the label back into the radar of all things good. Jake One should be a house hold name and is in certain circles, but dude should be ranked HIGH in your best producers list. While 60s soul has been to death (no diss), Mayer and Jake look to the 80s to give their take of the boogie sound diggers seem to be flocking to as of late. The mood, feel, and sounds are damn near perfection with Mr Hawthorne’s vocals really shining. With 12 songs in total, the duo sip on a cocktail made of jheri curl sauce and orange juice. To call it tongue in cheek would be a disservice to the honesty presented in the self titled album and we can’t recommend it enough.

• music label: Stones Throw 2015

reviewed by Cactus 3/2015