After 35 years Nathaniel Mayer came back to stake his claim and found that his reputation preceded him. His live show has not lost an ounce of intensity and his razor-sharp voice carries more strength than ever before. He signed on with Fat Possum / Munster Records to make his first ever full-length album nearly four decades after his start in the music industry. It harkens back to the days where Willson Pickett and James Brown ruled the roost. This is urban soul at its best. Sure, there are some horns and some keyboards, but the music takes a backseat to Mayer's charismatic vocal persona. High energy dominates the opener, "I Wanna Dance With You", you can hear the sweat pouring off Mayer as he sings. The surprise of the album comes in the second slot, as Mayer does a swinging, hard, nasty version of John Lennon's "I Found Out". It nearly lurches out of control several times, but Mayer manages to reign the whole glorious mess back in. It's one of three covers on the album, meaning that seven of the 10 songs are fresh originals from Mayer. "Satisfied Fool", one of the other covers, is loaded with horns and Farfisa organ. "I'm in Love" is the most upbeat ballad you'll ever experience in the soul genre. "Leave Me Alone" is a pure ass-shaker, complete with guitar solo and an infectious shout-out chorus that takes forever to fade out. "You Gotta Work" sounds like Mayer outwrestled Peter Wolf for the mic to sing on what could be a missing J. Geils Band tune. The last cover, "From Now On", is straight-ahead soul. "Stick It or Lick It" is Mayer at his most playful; "You are the One" is a true soul ballad, ratcheted down to slow-dancing speed. Lastly, "What's Your Name" is Mayer's attempt to throw a little bit of rock into the mix. There is life in Detroit soul after Motown! "I Just Want to be Held" is an exciting record that will move one's body, mind, and of course, soul.

All songs by Mayer published by Big Legal Mess Publishing (BMI) administered by Wixen Music Publishing; Except "I Found Out" by John Lennon published by Sony/ATV Publishing (BMI), "Satisfied Fool" by Jack Yarber (Oblivians/Cool Jerks) and "From Now On" by Devora Brown published by Trianon Publication(BMI).

Greasy Carlisi-bass
Tino Gross-drums
Jeff Meier, Dale Beavers, Jack Yarber-guitar
Suzi Hendrix-saxophone
Brandon Lewis-trumpet
Adam Woodard-organ
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Produced by Bruce Watson, Jeff Meier, Dale Beavers.
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Recorded at the Money Shot, Water Valley, Mississippi and The White Room,
Detroit, Michigan.