Question: What makes you different from every other singer-songwriter that comes through New Orleans?

Charlie Mars’ response: “How many of those guys have sung the National Anthem at the Saints Panthers game, which the Saints then proceeded to win?”

Point taken.

You might not have heard of Mars, a soulful singer-songwriter from Mississippi, but you watched that Saints game. You’ve heard of Esquire, who invited Mars to be one of five contestants in its Songwriting Challenge to write and record a track that included the words “Somewhere in Mississippi.” Most people have heard of Showtime’s Weeds, whose doe-eyed star, Mary-Louise Parker, is rumored to be dating Mars and is featured in his video for “Listen to the Darkside.” Youve heard of R.E.M., KT Tunstall, and Citizen Cope, who Mars has toured with. Youve heard of The Washington Post, who said,  “with gentle yet genuine hints of Paul Simon in both his singing and his guitar work, Charlie Mars takes listeners on a journey through some of the peaks and valleys of his life.” Jambase called Mars one of the South’s most under-appreciated songwriters.” For his part, Mars is all for the Paul Simon comparison.

There are a couple of reasons you havent heard of Mars, both of which make him more interesting. One is that after his first two albums, which were successes with the local college crowd, Mars took a hiatus and lived on a houseboat in Sweden. He doesnt speak Swedish, which was exactly why he went to Sweden. There, he hung out with the locals, clearing his head. Upon his return, he signed with V2 Records, who also released albums for the White Stripes and Moby. His 2004 album Charlie Mars was praised by Rolling Stone. But the company folded a few years later, leaving Mars back at square one. He rebuilt, and Like a Bird, Like a Plane is the result of a long, hard look at what he wanted to be as a musician. It represent his departure from traditional rock and movement towards groove.

“This new CD is truer to what I like,” Mars says in a smooth Mississippi drawl. “I’m interested in groovy-based music. I listen to Dire Straits, Sam Cooke, Stevie Wonder – funky grooves that I could write over. Its rhythmic.”

“Rhythmic” is a word Mars throws around often. He defines it as music that makes you want to swing your hips. “Rock,” on the other hand, makes you want to jump.

Like a Bird, Like a Plane is less polished than Mars’ previous albums. Most of the tracks were recorded live in the studio with drummer J.J. Johnson (John Mayer), keyboardist John Ginty (Citizen Cope) and bass players George Reiff (Jakob Dylan) and Dave Monzie (Fiona Apple).  “When you first play something, it’s more interesting,” Mars says of his decision to record live. “It’s fun and real, and that’s how I want to feel when I make music.”

On Friday, Charlie Mars plays the Howlin’ Wolf.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtEXBhs2Vtw[/youtube]