Nathaniel Mayer's big moment in the spotlight didn't last long -- his sole hit, the truly wild "Village of Love," climbed the charts for a few months in 1962 and he never had a follow-up. But when
Mayer returned to recording and performing in the new millennium, he didn't waste time -- after the release of
I Just Want to Be Held in the fall of 2004,
Mayer kept himself busy touring and recording, releasing
Why Don't You Give It to Me? in 2007 and regularly playing shows in America and Europe until he was sidelined by a stroke in the spring of 2008 (complications would claim his life before the year was out). While the sessions for
Why Don't You Give It to Me? only lasted two days, there were six tunes left over, and combined with two acoustic performances from radio broadcasts, they've been released as
Why Won't You Let Me Be Black? (The title comes from something
Mayer told a French promoter after he got tired of the haute cuisine regularly served to him backstage.) Several of the tracks on this album sound more like spontaneous jams than songs, in particular "Mr. Tax Man" and "The Puddle," and
Mayer's voice sounds worn and frayed on many of these songs. But if the flesh is weak,
Mayer's spirit is strong and confident on these recordings, and he has a marvelous rapport with his band (which features
Dan Auerbach of
the Black Keys,
Matthew Smith of
Outrageous Cherry, and
Troy Gregory of
the Witches and
the Dirtbombs); even on the tunes that sound spontaneous, his vocals merge beautifully with the tough guitar-centered sound of the musicians. And
Mayer's songcraft is inspired; "You Are the One" and "The Girl Next Door" are the sort of soulful, passionate love songs they just don't write anymore, and "Mr. Tax Man" and "The Puddle" are compelling '70s-style rock-funk hybrids that sound smart and streetwise as
Mayer sings about war, economic injustice, drugs, and homelessness.
Why Won't You Let Me Be Black? may be a collection of loose ends, but these are loose ends well worth hearing, and they're a striking reminder of how strong and passionate an artist
Nathaniel Mayer was right up to the end.