JULY 2009 ONLINE EDITORIALS

Tim Hanauer - Time for Change

By Erik Myers

Tim Hanauer is so much more than a John Mayer knockoff. Sure, the Fort Collins singer-songwriter (and former Scene contributor) takes a familiar lovey-dovey approach to acoustic guitar, purring on about “pancakes with the smiley face” where one might expect “candy lips” and a “bubblegum tongue.” And yes, Hanauer’s voice is akin to Mayer’s, albeit crisper and deep. Only the uppermost echelon of music elitists will bitch about the similarity; the passive-aggressive ones just point it out in the first three sentences.

Yet Hanauer is a singer of his own making. His talents, given a top-notch production sheen, make a worthwhile listen out of Time for Change, his second full-length. After a couple of rather plain-flavored tracks, he shows off his flexibility, the lazy afternoon pull of “Miss” preceding a spectacular flash of drums and electric guitar on “Out Of My Arms.” Most surprising is “Next To You,” a simple pop ditty with an especially luscious and unexpected keyboard bridge. Gaps in other tracks get colored in by Hanauer himself, being a master of subtle accentuation who knows just what words make a homespun tune palatable.

What does the future hold for an artist who might have had Room for Squares on repeat for the last seven years? Apparently it’s already here: “Dream A Better Way” was netted for the soundtrack of the new romantic-comedy from My Big Fat Greek Wedding’s Nia Vardalos, while other tracks are making the rounds on the primetime dramas of network television. All he needs next is a blonde on one arm and a gold phonograph in hand.