Today’s the first day of summer, and the longest day of the year, and a Saturday. The perfect combination of elements for spending the day roaming around, casual and aimless. No pressure, no rush. To me, this is the soundtrack for that kind of day.
Sharp-eared listeners and Motown fans know this is a cover of a song originally performed by The New Holidays in 1969. As covers go, this one is pretty faithful to the original—the only changes are a moderate downshift in tempo and Hawthorne’s signature vocal style. Hawthorne is L.A. based these days, but he grew up in Ann Arbor, and covers like this are his way of paying tribute to the golden days of Motown soul.
The result is a warm, mellow groove that’s the perfect speed to stroll to. It doesn’t come to a halt: it just smoothly melts into a different direction, the way summer days ease into summer nights . . . [iTunes, Spotify, Amazon]
Welcome to Soundtrack, what the Gizmodo staff is listening to every night.
