John Mayer is no small player in the music industry. Having won several Grammys and achieved multiple top selling songs, Mayer has long since established a sizable following of fans. His smooth voice and excellent guitar skills, mixed with romantic themes and a light touch of blues have kept them coming. Battle Studies builds off Mayer’s regular formula, throwing in some additional musical variation, a song with Taylor Swift, and a cover of the classic rock song “Crossroads” for good measure. This album has already made some significant numbers, selling 286,000 copies in its first week alone. But the question is, “is the success of Mayer’s latest album due to quality or reputation?”
In a live performance prior to the album’s release, Mayer said, "The album is called Battle Studies and that's because it incorporates a lot of the lessons, a lot of the observations, and a little bit of advice. Like a handbook, like a heartbreak handbook." Listeners may draw from such a statement that the album is topically diverse. Not only do all the songs (as expected) have a very distinctive “John Mayer” timbre to them, but they’re all about the same thing. Well over half of the songs focus entirely on emotional conflicts in relationships. Getting in, staying in, getting out, or staying out; it’s really all the same. I suppose for Mayer, who has a reputation for off-and-on relationships with various celebrities, these very well may be “battles” that he’s gone through. However, it makes it hard to find a differentiating value in each song. And, unless you’re a die-hard Mayer fan, or someone who finds comfort in listening to constant emotional drama, you’re going to get tired of it all.
As a result, I would say that I really could only recommend purchasing Battle Studies as a whole to long-time Mayer fans. But, seeing as how the album has been out for a couple months now, the majority of the group should already have it. For those of you that really only value Mayer’s bigger hits, I’d suggest that you find one of the dozen of free music sites to find the nuggets. Those of you who are interested, but less motivated should look into “Heartbreak Warfare”, “Who Says”, and “Perfectly Lonely”.
Showing posts with label John Mayer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John Mayer. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Battle Studies : John Mayer (A Review)
This is my first stab at an album review. I may have analyzed it too much but i found some interesting details which I couldn't leave out. With that said please enjoy!
For all John Mayer fans out there, this album continues the familiar sound he stuck to throughout the decade. While different instruments are occasionally used, the main focus remains his lyrical, blues guitar genius.
The first track, "Heartbreak Warfare" opens with strings fading in followed by delayed guitar. Reviews have said this delayed effect is reminiscent of that of U2's The Edge. This adopted sound sets the mood for the remainder of the album, where lyrics seem to back up the soulful, blues guitar.
Although the romantic, blue guitar themes prevail on the majority of his new record, Mayer's sense of humor does reveal itself on the tracks "Half of My Heart" and "Who Says." In fact, on "Half of My Heart," Mayer teams up with Taylor Swift and sings about loving someone while always looking for someone else. On "Who Says," one of my personal favorites, and seemingly one of the most down to earth tracks of the album, Mayer gives a little insight to his opinion of marijuana use. The brilliant line "I don't remember you looking any better, but then again I don't remember you" repeats throughout the songs entirety and focuses the listener on the effects of the drug and Mayer’s use himself.
John Mayer seems to rely more heavily on outside inspiration for his music than his previous albums. Previously he covered Tom Petty’s “Free Falling,” but this time he covers Robert Johnson's "Crossroads." Many artists over the decades have covered this song, most notably Eric Clapton. However this song is, for any blues guitarist, almost a required cover. In comparing John Mayer's cover to that of Eric Clapton’s his is significantly slower and closer to the blues roots of the song, rather than the funk infused style of Eric Clapton's band Cream. However Mayer add his own twist when he opts to solo during the song. Instead of showing off his prowess over that of Eric Clapton and Rober Johnson, Mayer plays under the original sound and chorus of the song, rather than play over and show off. He thus maintains the respect of his followers while producing an original unique sound to a classic song.
Battle Studies may not be John Mayer's greatest album, but it's a worthy addition to his already impressive repertoire, and definitely worth a listen.
Well that's a wrap,
Tom
For all John Mayer fans out there, this album continues the familiar sound he stuck to throughout the decade. While different instruments are occasionally used, the main focus remains his lyrical, blues guitar genius.
The first track, "Heartbreak Warfare" opens with strings fading in followed by delayed guitar. Reviews have said this delayed effect is reminiscent of that of U2's The Edge. This adopted sound sets the mood for the remainder of the album, where lyrics seem to back up the soulful, blues guitar.
Although the romantic, blue guitar themes prevail on the majority of his new record, Mayer's sense of humor does reveal itself on the tracks "Half of My Heart" and "Who Says." In fact, on "Half of My Heart," Mayer teams up with Taylor Swift and sings about loving someone while always looking for someone else. On "Who Says," one of my personal favorites, and seemingly one of the most down to earth tracks of the album, Mayer gives a little insight to his opinion of marijuana use. The brilliant line "I don't remember you looking any better, but then again I don't remember you" repeats throughout the songs entirety and focuses the listener on the effects of the drug and Mayer’s use himself.
John Mayer seems to rely more heavily on outside inspiration for his music than his previous albums. Previously he covered Tom Petty’s “Free Falling,” but this time he covers Robert Johnson's "Crossroads." Many artists over the decades have covered this song, most notably Eric Clapton. However this song is, for any blues guitarist, almost a required cover. In comparing John Mayer's cover to that of Eric Clapton’s his is significantly slower and closer to the blues roots of the song, rather than the funk infused style of Eric Clapton's band Cream. However Mayer add his own twist when he opts to solo during the song. Instead of showing off his prowess over that of Eric Clapton and Rober Johnson, Mayer plays under the original sound and chorus of the song, rather than play over and show off. He thus maintains the respect of his followers while producing an original unique sound to a classic song.
Battle Studies may not be John Mayer's greatest album, but it's a worthy addition to his already impressive repertoire, and definitely worth a listen.
Well that's a wrap,
Tom
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
