BLACK MUSIC MONTH (NEW SCHOOL): Mateo

There's been a lot of wistful talk of cowboys in recent years. With all respect to Paula Cole, forget the cowboys. Where have all the good falsettos gone?

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BLACK MUSIC MONTH (NEW SCHOOL): Mateo

POSTED: Friday, June 17, 2011, 1:00 PM

Filed Under: Music

Black Music Month rolls on. All June long, Critical Mass will be featuring videos of some of our favorite artists from now and then.

There's been a lot of wistful talk of cowboys in recent years. With all respect to Paula Cole, I couldn't care less about that. When I'm longing for days gone by, I want to know where have all the good falsettos gone.

Old school R&B, especially of the Philadelphia variety, was replete with fantastic countertenors. Today, only a select few have high notes that are swoon-worthy. It's not just a switch in style, a lot of the fellas heating up the R&B charts today just can't reach those upper levels.

That's why when I heard Mateo's "Doubt," I was more excited than a suburban housewife discovering a new outlet mall. More excited than an ice cream addict on free cone day. More excited than Snooki at a bar full of juiceheads. You get the point ...

Mateo is more than just his falsetto. The versatile crooner glides through genres and registers, brought to you by the producer of Alicia Keys' Songs in A Minor. "Don't Shoot Me Down" (featuring Goapele and Ab Liva) is the lead single off the mixtape Love and Stadiums, available for free download on Mateo's website. I love the vocal pairing on this track. They sound like they're calmly, but persistently chasing each other. Be sure to take this one with you before hitting the road. The vocals and bass make for great summer driving music.

(cassie.owens@citypaper.net)

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Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

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