In the mid-1990s, while on hiatus from Tears for Fears, Curt Smith recorded an album, but not as himself. Entitled simply Mayfield, this record and band would be the first collaboration between Smith and Charlton Pettus, a musical partnership that continues to this day. The one and only Mayfield album was released in 1997, but has long been out of print and difficult to find, but that is thankfully no longer the case. Smith is re-releasing the Mayfield album on November 15th, downloadable from your favorite digital downlaod service as well as in a deluxe package from the official Curt Smith website. This re-release features the original tracklist intact and includes a bonus re-recording of the track “Trees” in collaboration with the great Janice Whaley. So, how does the Mayfield album hold up nearly fifteen years later? Exceptionally well, as it turns out.
“What Are We Fighting For” starts things off in a seemingly straightforward manner, but as Smith has proven since the early days, there is much more going on than initially perceived. While this song has an instantly catchy and airy tune, the lyrics contradict this. The song is about a relationship that has gone bad, with one of the participants wondering how the couple has gotten to this point. Musically simple, lyrically dense and a nice start to a terrific album.
“Sorry Town” sounds very much like it would not be out of place on a Tears For Fears album, but probably benefits from belonging solely to Smith and Pettus. The following track, “Jasmine’s Taste”, manages to make itself an anthem without any of the pretentiousness or overblown production prevalent in big rock ballads. I should mention here that this album was mostly recorded live in the studio in about three weeks, with minimal overdubbing later, and every single one of the songs are the better for it, most especially “Jasmine’s Taste.”
And then we arrive at my favorite song, “Reach Out”. This song is like taking a drive on a warm summer day with the top down, it just kind of pulls you along on its lyrical twists and turns with punchy music firing on all cylinders. This is the one you’ll be humming along to and singing in the shower. Or maybe that’s just me. Oh, and pay attention to the blistering yet all too brief solo around the three minute mark.
“Trees” and “Mother England” are both fantastic numbers, with the latter being something that sneaks up on you and goes in a musical direction not initially expected. “Snow Hill” features a backing vocal by jazz singer Rebecca Martin and is a beautifully quiet number. I confess that I initially considered “I Don’t Wanna Be Around” to be the weakest song on this record, but it is one of those slow burn tunes and I now think it could be one of the strongest songs Curt Smith has ever done, much like the track that follows it. “Sun King” starts as a deceptively small song before exploding with dirty guitar and lyrical venom. “Sun King” is probably the Mayfield song I most want to hear live!
“Gone Again” finishes off the original tracklist with a soft and lilting, yet very heartfelt, ending. It is a nice way to unwind and just sort of drifts off, leaving you ready to start again at the beginning, which I’ve found myself doing frequently. Of course, there is one final treat in the updated version of “Trees” with The Smiths Project’s Janice Whaley’s voice looped multiple times and providing the musical underpinnings that beautifully carry Smith’s new lead vocal. Very enchanting.
It’s easy to throw around words such as exceptional and fantastic when writing about music, but it is seldom that an entire album merits such lofty labels. Mayfield is an album that fully deserves such accolades. I wish I had been aware of it during its initial release, but I’m glad to finally get to listen to it now. There are a handful of records that get regular play from me and this has joined that list. You can stream the songs for yourself below, but make sure to purchase your own copies as soon as you can. You’ll want this on whatever mobile device you have that plays music.
