Top 10 Albums with Mayer Hawthorne

1. Slum Village Fantastic Vol. 2
One of the most innovative hip-hop albums ever. Incredible from start to finish. No album has ever stayed in my deck longer.

2. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles Time Out For
This little known Smokey album has some of my all time favorite cuts. “Baby Baby Don’t Cry” and “Once I Got To Know You” are simply perfect songs.

3. The Marvelettes Sophisticated Soul
A lot of Smokey penned tunes on here and Wanda Rogers at her finest. Every track is a classic.

4. Parliament The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein
My favorite of all the Parliament albums. George, Bootsy and the crew at their most outrageous and most brilliant."We are children of production, produced in conjunction!”

5. Cybotron Enter
1983-Juan Atkins and Richard Davis completely change the game and basically create Detroit Techno. This record could come out tomorrow and still sound brand spanking new.

6. Martha & The Vandellas Watchout!
Pre-pain-killer era Martha Reeves. Every song is a hit. Holland, Dozier and Holland at their peak. Unstoppable.

7. Jay Dee aka J Dilla Welcome 2 Detroit
Dilla Dawg painted the most vivid picture of the D on this one. You really feel like you’re taking a tour of the Dirty District. He showed so called “producers” how to really produce tracks, not just make beats. Filthy McNasty!

8. Lamont Dozier Love and Beauty
A collection of “incomplete” songs, from one of the greatest songwriters of all time, that were not intended for release. Invictus released it in ‘74 after Lamont left the label for ABC. Hard to find original pressings sell for up to $100. Truly masterful songwriting.

9. Buff1 There’s Only One
Buff further proving why he’s my favorite emcee out there. His charisma on the mic is unmatched. Real Appeal is an instant classic. No skipping tracks on this one.

10. Donald Byrd Places and Spaces
While technically not a “Detroit” record, Don was born and raised in the D, and even graduated from Wayne State University.  A little help from the Mizell brothers made this a landmark fusion LP that just makes you feel so good.