Record Reviews
📝 2096 reviews| Artist | Title | Review |
|---|---|---|
| John Mayall | Bluesbreaking | <p>From the liner notes: 3BR presents the "rest of the story" ... the complete known-to-exist recordings of the legendary John Mayall's Bluesbreakers featuring Eric Clapton. Live performances, singles, and the rare BBC recordings are collected in one place for the first time. "Contains previously unissued BBC tracks, and the cover art includes previously unpublished photos". The ultimate release for fans of EC's early years.</p><p>You may be interested to learn that an "original, not a CD-R" copy of this compilation was sold on eBay for $102.50; curious, since this was never a commercial enterprise. Ironically, Cross Border Records have a bootleg of this, entitled "Primal Seed"!</p><p>Having learnt of the diligence taken in seeking out this rare material and preparing it for its final form, I think this album is priceless and we owe a great debt of gratitude to those anonymously involved.</p><p>I am informed that the Artwork photographs belonged to Eric Clapton. They were left behind in a London flat when he moved after the formation of Cream. They are now in the possession of an American woman who spent significant time in the UK in 1964 and 1966, while she was a university student. It is thought that she spent the summer of 1964 there, and some months in 1966 right after she graduated. Clapton had moved in with a bunch of American "chicks" after he returned from his "Greek Odyssey" (he'd known them since his Yardbird days, when they spent the summer of 1964 in London). He left after Cream was formed, either during the summer or early autumn.</p> |
| John Mayall | Hard Road | <p>Eric Clapton is usually thought of as John Mayall's most important right-hand man, but the case could also be made for his successor, Peter Green. The future Fleetwood Mac founder leaves a strong stamp on his only album with the Bluesbreakers, singing a few tracks and writing a couple, including the devastating instrumental "Supernatural." Green's use of thick sustain on this track clearly pointed the way to his use of this feature on Fleetwood Mac's hits "Albatross" and "Black Magic Woman," as well as providing a blueprint for Carlos Santana's style. Mayall acquits himself fairly well on this mostly original set (with occasional guest horns), though some of the material is fairly mundane. Highlights include the uncharacteristically rambunctious "Leaping Christine" and the cover of Freddie King's "Someday After a While (You'll Be Sorry)."</p>— <b>Richie Unterberger</b> |
| John Mayall | The Turning Point | <p>This prophetically titled project represents yet another crossroad in John Mayall's ever evolving cast of prime British bluesmen. This album also signifies a distinct departure from the decibel-drowning electrified offerings of his previous efforts, providing instead an exceedingly more folk- and roots-based confab. The specific lineup featured here is conspicuous in its absence of a lead guitarist, primarily due to Mayall recommending himself out of his most recent string man. After the passing of Brian Jones, the Rolling Stones decided to tour and at the behest of Mick Jagger, Mayall suggested Mick Taylor — who had been with him since Crusade (1967). Mayall gave this potentially negative situation a positive outcome by retooling the combo into an acoustic quartet featuring old friends as well as some vital new sonic textures. Mayall (vocals/harmonica/slide guitar/telecaster six-string/hand & mouth percussion) joined forces with former associates Steve Thompson (bass) and Johnny Almond (tenor & alto sax/flute/mouth percussion), then added the talents of Jon Mark (acoustic finger-style guitar). It becomes readily apparent that Mark's precision and tasteful improvisational skills place this incarnation into heady spaces. The taut interaction and wafting solos punctuating "So Hard to Share" exemplify the controlled intensity of Mayall's prior electrified outings. Likewise, Mark's intricate acoustics pierce through the growl of Mayall's haunting slide guitar solos on "Saw Mill Gulch Road." The Turning Point also examines a shift in Mayall's writing. The politically charged "Laws Must Change," the personal "I'm Gonna Fight for You J.B." and the incomparable "Room to Move" are tinged with Mayall's trademark sense of irony and aural imagery.</p><p>— <strong>Lindsay Planer</strong></p><hr/><p>I was 18 years old in 1969, when this record was first released. I was just beginning a lifelong interest in the blues. A friend played Muddy Waters' The Real Folk Blues album for me, and I was hooked. I had heard the name John Mayall, but had never paid much attention to his music. I knew that Peter Green and Eric Clapton (among others) had started in his band but no-one played Mayall records. You didn't hear them on the radio.</p><p>So when I saw this album, The Turning Point, in the record racks, I decided to give it a try. My first response (and I remember it very well) was, “You call this the blues!?!” It is 30 years on. My knowledge of what is and what isn't “the blues” no longer depends on measuring everything against one Muddy Waters album (although that is still a standard worth keeping in mind); so when I saw this Mayall album again, I was very excited and couldn't wait to see how it measured up!</p><p>Mayall's original liner notes say, “the time is right for a new direction in blues music. Having decided to dispense with heavy lead guitar and drums, usually a 'must' for blues groups today, I set about forming a new band which would be able to explore seldom-used areas within the framework of low volume music …” Hmmm. The band had only been together for four weeks when this album was recorded at the Fillmore East Theater in New York.</p><p>Thirty years later, blues music has gone through many more phases. Right now we hear more blues than ever before. It shows up in beer commercials and film soundtracks. It is sampled and rapped over. And the legends of blues are being remastered and reissued for a new generation. John Mayall's brave experiment sounds better than ever.</p><p>Led by his own vocals and harmonica work, this combo featured the acoustic finger-style guitar of Jon Mark, Steve Thompson on bass, and Johnny Almond on saxes and flute. The music is quiet, intimate and engaging. Mayall has never been a strong vocalist. He is no blues shouter but adopts a more Robert Johnson-like approach here. His reedy voice rides on top of the instrumentation as he sings about politics, homesickness and “love without entanglement.”</p><p>Jon Mark had been a British session guitarist before joining Mayall. He had co-produced Marianne Faithfull's early albums with Mick Jagger and accompanied her on the road. He also toured as a folky duet with Alun Davies (guitarist for Cat Stevens). His acoustic guitar playing is brilliant. Perhaps because it is buried a bit in the mix, you find yourself listening for it, hoping to catch a glimpse of Mark's folky string work as it weaves in and out of the ensemble. Saxophonist/flutist Johnny Almond had been in Zoot Money's Big Roll Band and the Alan Price Set, playing jazz-influenced rock when Mayall hired him.</p><p>He is the star of The Turning Point. Whether on tenor or alto sax, or playing the flute his is the lead voice. This was a major change for British blues in the '60s. The focus had always been the lead guitar, loud and stinging, leading to the hero worship of icons like Green, Clapton, Mick Taylor and others; but the warmth and humanity of the woodwinds as played by Almond looks back to Johnny Hodges in the great Ellington bands.</p><p>Steve Thompson has the job of holding this all together. With no drummer, it is incumbent on the bass player to provide a solid foundation, and Thompson does this extraordinarily well. He maintains the beat and provides the framework upon which Almond and Mark can hang their improvisations. Then Mayall punctuates the ensemble playing with his vocals and masterful blues harp. Mayall also fills out the sound with a slide guitar, a little telecaster and some tambourine.</p><p>The songs are basic blues structures with lyrics by Mayall. The keys are listed; as testament to the completeness of Mayall's harmonica collection they range from E to D-flat. Mayall describes each song with one sentence on the liner. “The Laws Must Change” is “a few personal observations of police vs. youth and the drug situation” in C; “Saw Mill Gulch Road” is “the story of an innocent encounter one night in Monterey, California” in E and so on. The former is a bopping harp-driven shuffle, the latter a haunting flute-accompanied ballad, with spooky slide guitar in the background. The highlight, though, is the last song in the set. “Room To Move” rocks out (in D-flat), Mark's guitar higher in the mix, Mayall trading vocals and harp, and Almond foregoing the saxes for some mouth percussion. You've never heard a “drum” solo like this!</p><p>Often our memories play tricks on us. Movies that we loved when we first saw them seem silly and clumsy when we watch them again. Songs that meant something in high school mean nothing as we grow older. John Mayall's The Turning Point is not like that. It is even stronger after 30 years.</p><p>— <strong>David Kidney</strong></p> |
| John Mayall | John Mayall | |
| John Mayall | The Turning Point | <p>This prophetically titled project represents yet another crossroad in John Mayall's ever evolving cast of prime British bluesmen. This album also signifies a distinct departure from the decibel-drowning electrified offerings of his previous efforts, providing instead an exceedingly more folk- and roots-based confab. The specific lineup featured here is conspicuous in its absence of a lead guitarist, primarily due to Mayall recommending himself out of his most recent string man. After the passing of Brian Jones, the Rolling Stones decided to tour and at the behest of Mick Jagger, Mayall suggested Mick Taylor — who had been with him since Crusade (1967). Mayall gave this potentially negative situation a positive outcome by retooling the combo into an acoustic quartet featuring old friends as well as some vital new sonic textures. Mayall (vocals/harmonica/slide guitar/telecaster six-string/hand & mouth percussion) joined forces with former associates Steve Thompson (bass) and Johnny Almond (tenor & alto sax/flute/mouth percussion), then added the talents of Jon Mark (acoustic finger-style guitar). It becomes readily apparent that Mark's precision and tasteful improvisational skills place this incarnation into heady spaces. The taut interaction and wafting solos punctuating "So Hard to Share" exemplify the controlled intensity of Mayall's prior electrified outings. Likewise, Mark's intricate acoustics pierce through the growl of Mayall's haunting slide guitar solos on "Saw Mill Gulch Road." The Turning Point also examines a shift in Mayall's writing. The politically charged "Laws Must Change," the personal "I'm Gonna Fight for You J.B." and the incomparable "Room to Move" are tinged with Mayall's trademark sense of irony and aural imagery.</p><p>— <strong>Lindsay Planer</strong></p><hr/><p>I was 18 years old in 1969, when this record was first released. I was just beginning a lifelong interest in the blues. A friend played Muddy Waters' The Real Folk Blues album for me, and I was hooked. I had heard the name John Mayall, but had never paid much attention to his music. I knew that Peter Green and Eric Clapton (among others) had started in his band but no-one played Mayall records. You didn't hear them on the radio.</p><p>So when I saw this album, The Turning Point, in the record racks, I decided to give it a try. My first response (and I remember it very well) was, “You call this the blues!?!” It is 30 years on. My knowledge of what is and what isn't “the blues” no longer depends on measuring everything against one Muddy Waters album (although that is still a standard worth keeping in mind); so when I saw this Mayall album again, I was very excited and couldn't wait to see how it measured up!</p><p>Mayall's original liner notes say, “the time is right for a new direction in blues music. Having decided to dispense with heavy lead guitar and drums, usually a 'must' for blues groups today, I set about forming a new band which would be able to explore seldom-used areas within the framework of low volume music …” Hmmm. The band had only been together for four weeks when this album was recorded at the Fillmore East Theater in New York.</p><p>Thirty years later, blues music has gone through many more phases. Right now we hear more blues than ever before. It shows up in beer commercials and film soundtracks. It is sampled and rapped over. And the legends of blues are being remastered and reissued for a new generation. John Mayall's brave experiment sounds better than ever.</p><p>Led by his own vocals and harmonica work, this combo featured the acoustic finger-style guitar of Jon Mark, Steve Thompson on bass, and Johnny Almond on saxes and flute. The music is quiet, intimate and engaging. Mayall has never been a strong vocalist. He is no blues shouter but adopts a more Robert Johnson-like approach here. His reedy voice rides on top of the instrumentation as he sings about politics, homesickness and “love without entanglement.”</p><p>Jon Mark had been a British session guitarist before joining Mayall. He had co-produced Marianne Faithfull's early albums with Mick Jagger and accompanied her on the road. He also toured as a folky duet with Alun Davies (guitarist for Cat Stevens). His acoustic guitar playing is brilliant. Perhaps because it is buried a bit in the mix, you find yourself listening for it, hoping to catch a glimpse of Mark's folky string work as it weaves in and out of the ensemble. Saxophonist/flutist Johnny Almond had been in Zoot Money's Big Roll Band and the Alan Price Set, playing jazz-influenced rock when Mayall hired him.</p><p>He is the star of The Turning Point. Whether on tenor or alto sax, or playing the flute his is the lead voice. This was a major change for British blues in the '60s. The focus had always been the lead guitar, loud and stinging, leading to the hero worship of icons like Green, Clapton, Mick Taylor and others; but the warmth and humanity of the woodwinds as played by Almond looks back to Johnny Hodges in the great Ellington bands.</p><p>Steve Thompson has the job of holding this all together. With no drummer, it is incumbent on the bass player to provide a solid foundation, and Thompson does this extraordinarily well. He maintains the beat and provides the framework upon which Almond and Mark can hang their improvisations. Then Mayall punctuates the ensemble playing with his vocals and masterful blues harp. Mayall also fills out the sound with a slide guitar, a little telecaster and some tambourine.</p><p>The songs are basic blues structures with lyrics by Mayall. The keys are listed; as testament to the completeness of Mayall's harmonica collection they range from E to D-flat. Mayall describes each song with one sentence on the liner. “The Laws Must Change” is “a few personal observations of police vs. youth and the drug situation” in C; “Saw Mill Gulch Road” is “the story of an innocent encounter one night in Monterey, California” in E and so on. The former is a bopping harp-driven shuffle, the latter a haunting flute-accompanied ballad, with spooky slide guitar in the background. The highlight, though, is the last song in the set. “Room To Move” rocks out (in D-flat), Mark's guitar higher in the mix, Mayall trading vocals and harp, and Almond foregoing the saxes for some mouth percussion. You've never heard a “drum” solo like this!</p><p>Often our memories play tricks on us. Movies that we loved when we first saw them seem silly and clumsy when we watch them again. Songs that meant something in high school mean nothing as we grow older. John Mayall's The Turning Point is not like that. It is even stronger after 30 years.</p><p>— <strong>David Kidney</strong></p> |
| John Mayall | Live At The Marquee | |
| John Mayall | The Best Of John Mayall And The Bluesbreakers | <p>As It All Began: The Best of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers 1964-1968 is an excellent 20-track retrospective, capturing Mayall's band at their peak. The Bluesbreakers went through several different lineups during those four years, with musicians the caliber of Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor, Paul Butterfield, Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, and Peter Green floating through the group. Hardcore fans of any of those musicians, or of British blues, will naturally want to familiarize themselves with the original albums, but As It All Began is a fine sampler for the casual fan, featuring such staples as "Lonely Years," "Bernard Jenkins," "All Your Love," "Parchman Farm," "Double Trouble," "The Death of J.B. Lenoir," and "Miss James." Even at 20 tracks, there are a number of fine moments missing from this collection, but As It All Began remains the best available single-disc overview of the Bluesbreakers' prime period.</p><p>— <strong>Stephen Thomas Erlewine</strong></p> |
| John Mayall | Back To The Roots | <p>For this double-LP recorded in November 1970, John Mayall gathered together prominent musicians who had played in his bands during the past several years, including Sugarcane Harris, Eric Clapton, Johnny Almond, Harvey Mandel, Keef Hartley, and Mick Taylor. Mayall's compositions aren't all that impressive, but the sidemen frequently shine, especially Clapton. Back to the Roots hit number 52 in the U.S. and number 31 in the U.K.</p><p>— <strong></strong>William Ruhlmann</p> |
| John Mayer | Heavier Things | <p>A few nights prior to writing this review, I reviewed John Mayer's Toronto concert. The very idea that he performed at the city's Air Canada Centre was a big leap from my standpoint. With two albums to his credit, the thought of him filling half of the venue would've been a plus. But when the place nearly sold out, it was a big surprise. It's that same buzz surrounding the Connecticut-born and now Atlanta-based performer that is making his new album a big deal. But is it all that big of a deal? Well, in some cases yes and in others, particularly the last few songs, no. Oh god no!</p><p>The opening track, "Clarity", starts off with a simple acoustic guitar and a steady handclap that works nicely in the background. Here Mayer starts off slowly before moving into a style that yearns for adult-contemporary radio. Light but not lightweight, punchy but not over-the-top, the chorus just ambles along. Mayer hates being compared to Dave Matthews, but if it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck (not that either party does), the comparisons will be there. If Matthews had done more of this on his solo debut, the results might have been better. The ensuing tune, the leadoff single "Bigger than My Body", makes the album soar for a brief period of time. Having all the right parts in nearly all the right places, the tune is easily the single. Unfortunately, Mayer doesn't revisit this up-tempo format often for the album's remainder.</p><p>"Something's Missing", which is also found on Mayer's live album Any Given Thursday, has a soulful flavor that works to his strengths. The guitar riff resembles Bruce Cockburn or Sting, but it still has its effect later on. The checklist itemized near the conclusion is another asset Mayer has going for him: strong songwriting without being too highbrow or quirky. "New Deep" sounds like an extension of the previous song, with nearly a similar arrangement with less edge. Some might consider this a breather, but given how it drops off later, it's not really that bad. What is perhaps the album's highlight is "Come Back to Bed", a horn-tinged Motown-esque slow dance that Mayer pulls off with flying colors. Drawing the listener in early and often, Mayer's blues guitar prowess is shown in spots. "And I won't sleep through this / I survive on the breath you are finished with", he sings.</p><p>"Home Life" is more urban sounding with its brand of back-beat and structure. Although building to a relatively decent chorus, it seems to miss the mark and falls flat from the first chorus onwards. Fans who find no fault with their heroes will lap this type of song up, but the groove comes too late to right this musical ship. Thankfully, "Split Screen Sadness" atones for the last tune. Bringing to mind early alternative rock, the bass line and Mayer's vocal shine while the keyboards add an anthem-like quality. It's also possibly as close as Mayer will ever get to a U2 effort. Slow building but definitely a toe-tapper, the song can basically do no wrong, even in its mellower melancholic lines. "I still wish you'd fought me 'til your dying day / Don't let me get away", he sings as if he's been influenced in some way by the Cure's Robert Smith.</p><p>The last three tracks have one promising song. The acoustic folk-like "Daughters" brings Sting to mind, but it's definitely a breather song when played live. The simple strumming and wordplay mesh well together. But the final two tracks sound more like filler than anything here. It's a noticeable drop as "Only Heart" tries for a pop rock idea, but it sounds far too forced and, to a lesser, extent, rushed. "Do not waste this evening", Mayer opens the song. Perhaps he's muttering to himself as the song is just too glossy and color-by-numbers. What is more depressing is how it shines compared to "Wheel", a tune left best to people like Ron Sexsmith. The chorus tends to keep it together a tad, but it seems too mediocre. Overall, Heavier Things is a sophomore effort that doesn't have as many drawbacks as one might assume. Seems he's in it for the long haul.</p>— <b>Jason MacNeil</b> |
| John Mayer | Try! | <p>What got into John Mayer? Sometime after the release of his 2003 sophomore album, Heavier Things, a perfectly pleasant affair that expanded on the dreamy, mellow adult pop of his breakthrough hit, "Your Body Is a Wonderland," he decided that he just didn't want to follow that direction anymore. He started penning a monthly column for Esquire magazine, within which he hinted that his musical tastes were far broader than his recordings suggested, and then he started cameoing all over the place, appearing on albums by Buddy Guy, Herbie Hancock, B.B. King, Eric Clapton, and John Scofield -- heavy hitters one and all, yet none of them seemed to have much to do with Mayer's music, at least on the surface. These veterans recognized something within Mayer's playing, but more importantly, he realized that he needed to push himself further and decided to expand his horizons by seizing the opportunity to play with these masters and then incorporating what he learned into his own music.</p> </p>He toured as a power trio with studio pros Steve Jordan and Pino Palladino and recorded the live album Try! while on the road. There are no two ways about it: anybody who dismissed Mayer as a lite Dave Matthews wannabe based on his first two records will be forced to reassess him on the basis of this excellent record. While he still has some vocal tics that bring to mind Matthews and certainly shares an affection for lengthy live jams, Mayer has developed serious chops that transcend boilerplate jam band rock, where the groove and feel is more important than what's played. Here, Mayer is pushed by Jordan and Palladino -- and he pays back the favor by giving them equal billing on the album's front cover, which is unusual for any pop/rock star of his popularity (the cover also marks the second Blue Note allusion in Mayer's oeuvre, which is surely not a coincidence) -- and he rises to the challenge with muscular playing that's his best playing on record. Not just that, but there's a palpable grit to Try! -- and a sultry smoothness to the mellow numbers -- unheard on his previous studio albums. That alone would make Try! not just noteworthy, but a step forward for Mayer. But what makes it more remarkable is that Mayer takes an even greater risk by relying on new material for this album. There are two older songs -- "Something's Missing" and the hit "Daughters," both from Heavier Things -- but the rest consists of covers of Jimi Hendrix and Ray Charles ("Wait Until Tomorrow" and "I Got a Woman," respectively) and new songs that showcase Mayer's earthier, blues-rock direction. Although he sometimes dips into blues-rock clichés -- particularly on the slow-crawling "Out of My Mind" -- it's only on occasion (and when he does tread that familiar ground, he does so with conviction), and the songs overall are his strongest, most ambitious set of tunes yet. And that's what's most impressive about Try! -- Mayer has expanded what he can do as a musician and a writer and in the process has definitively separated himself from the pack of sensitive, jammy modern singer/songwriters. Based on this, he has more heart, soul, ambition, and chops than the rest of them combined.</p>— <b>Stephen Thomas Erlewine</b> |
| John Mayer | Live At The Chapel | |
| John Mayer | The Village Sessions | <p>The Village Sessions is an EP released by blues-rock artist John Mayer on December 12, 2006. Collaborators include John Mayer Trio members Steve Jordan and Pino Palladino, along with others such as Ben Harper, Robbie McIntosh (of The Pretenders), and Ricky Peterson (of Mayer's touring band and former producer for Prince albums). The six-song EP contains acoustic and alternate versions of songs found on Mayer's third studio album, Continuum, and his Trio's live album, Try!. Mayer co-produced the album with engineer Chad Franscoviak, also his live engineer and flat mate.</p><p>Notable is that though the EP was released at about the same time as Mayer's single "Gravity," the song itself does not appear on this EP, much like Mayer's singles "Daughters" and "Bigger Than My Body" were not on his live album As/Is, despite being the current singles at the time of its release. Like the As/Is series before it, The Village Sessions was made available on iTunes on May 15, 2007.</p> |
| John Mayer | Continuum | <P>Anybody who was initially confused by singer/songwriter John Mayer's foray into blues with 2005's Try! John Mayer Trio Live in Concert could only have been further confounded upon listening to the album and coming to the realization that it was actually good. And not just kinda good, especially for guy who had been largely labeled as a Dave Matthews clone, but really, truthfully, organically as good as a blues album in its own right. However, for longtime fans who had been keeping tabs on Mayer, the turn might not have been so unexpected. Soon after the release of his 2003 sophomore album, the laid-back, assuredly melodic Heavier Things, Mayer began appearing on albums by such iconic blues and jazz artists as Buddy Guy, B.B. King, and Herbie Hancock. And not just singing, but playing guitar next to musicians legendary on the instrument. In short, he was seeking out these artists in an attempt to delve into the roots of the blues, a music he obviously has a deep affection for.</P><P>Rather than his blues trio being a one-off side project completely disconnected to his past work, it is clear now that it was the next step in his musical development. And truthfully, while Try! certainly showcases Mayer's deft improvisational blues chops, it's more of a blues/soul album in the tradition of such electric blues legends as Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan, and features songs by Mayer that perfectly marry his melodic songcraft and his blues-slinger inclinations. In fact, what seemed at the time a nod to his largely female fan base (the inclusion of "Daughters" and "Something's Missing" off Heavier Things), was actually a hint that he was bridging his sound for his listeners, showing them where he was going.</P><P>That said, nothing he did up until the excellent, expansive Try! could have prepared you for the monumental creative leap forward that is Mayer's 2006 studio effort Continuum. Working with his blues trio/rhythm section of bassist Pino Palladino and drummer Steve Jordan, along with guest spots by trumpeter Roy Hargrove and guitarist Ben Harper, Mayer brings all of his recent musical explorations and increasing talents as a singer/songwriter to bear on Continuum. Produced solely by Mayer and Jordan, the album is a devastatingly accomplished, fully realized effort that in every way exceeds expectations and positions Mayer as one of the most relevant artists of his generation.</P><P>Adding weight to the notion that Mayer's blues trio is more than just a creative indulgence, he has carried over two tracks from the live album in "Vultures" and the deeply metaphorical soul ballad "Gravity." These are gut-wrenchingly poignant songs that give voice to a generation of kids raised on TRL teen stars and CNN sound bytes who've found themselves all grown up and fighting a war of "beliefs." Grappling with a handful of topics -- social and political, romantic and sexual, pointedly personal and yet always universal in scope -- Mayer's Continuum here earns a legitimate comparison to Marvin Gaye's What's Going On?. Nobody -- not a single one of Mayer's contemporaries -- has come up with anything resembling a worthwhile anti-war anthem that is as good and speaks for their generation as much as his "Waiting on the World to Change" -- and he goes and hangs the whole album on it as the first single.</P><P>It's a bold statement of purpose that is carried throughout the album, not just in sentiment, but also tone. Continuum is a gorgeously produced, brilliantly stripped-to-basics album that incorporates blues, soft funk, R&B, folk and pop in a sound that is totally owned by Mayer. It's no stretch when trying to describe the sound of Continuum to color it in the light of work by such legends as Sting, Eric Clapton, Sade, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Steve Winwood. In fact, the sustained adult contemporary tone of the album, which could easily have become turgid, boring, or dated never does, and brings to mind such classic late-'80s albums as Sting's Nothing Like the Sun, Clapton's Journeyman, and Vaughan's In Step.</P><P>At every turn, Continuum finds Mayer to be a mature, thoughtful, and gifted musician who fully grasps his place not just in the record industry, but in life.</P><P>— <B>Matt Collar</B></P> |
| John Mayer | Where The Light Is - John Mayer Live in Los Angeles | <p>Recorded at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, CA, Where the Light Is: John Mayer Live in Los Angeles finds singer/songwriter and guitarist John Mayer performing in three different band settings: acoustic trio, electric trio, and large ensemble. As such, the evening works as a nice representation of Mayer's work beginning with the 2003 album Heavier Things and continuing through his creative reinvention as a modern electric blues artist with 2005's Try! John Mayer Trio Live in Concert and finally his smash Grammy-winning 2006 effort, Continuum. Essentially, the concert is designed to showcase Mayer's ability to move from melodic soft rock and pop to folky solo numbers and rockin' blues. Generally, the conceit works and the concert does shine a light, so to speak, on Mayer's virtuosic musical chops. However, segmenting this concert into such specific aesthetic sounds loses some of the diverse flow a Mayer concert usually has. It should be noted that the concert is also available on DVD and Blu-ray, where you get see each band and appreciate the diversity among the ensembles. That said, for fans of Mayer the songwriter, you really can't lose, as the guy is hard-pressed to come up with a bad song, and tracks like the fan favorite "Daughters" and the bittersweet "Stop This Train" really benefit from the acoustic reading Mayer gives them here. Similarly, by putting "'Who Do You Think I Was," "Vultures," and his inspired take on Jimi Hendrix's "Bold as Love" in the middle electric trio section, Mayer builds the energy of the concert, perfectly setting up the pop/blues cornucopia of the final large ensemble set. Beginning with the hit "Waiting on the World to Change," Mayer's last set (on disc two) is really the set most fans will gravitate toward, as it finds Mayer and his backing group of stellar sideman diving headlong into such soulful numbers as "Why Georgia" and "I Don't Trust Myself (With Loving You)," while also making room for such bluesy nuggets as his Stevie Ray Vaughan-inspired reworking of the Ray Charles hit "I Don't Need No Doctor." Admittedly sprawling and ambitious, Where the Light Is is nonetheless a dynamic showcase for Mayer, who never fails to shine.</p><p>— <strong>Matt Collar</strong></p> |
| John Mayer | Where The Light Is - John Mayer Live in Los Angeles | <p>Recorded at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, California, Where the Light Is: John Mayer Live in Los Angeles finds singer/songwriter and guitarist John Mayer performing in three different band settings: acoustic trio, electric trio, and large ensemble. As such, the evening works as a nice representation of Mayer's work beginning with the 2003 album Heavier Things and continuing through his creative reinvention as a modern electric blues artist with 2005's Try! John Mayer Trio Live in Concert and finally his smash Grammy-winning 2006 effort, Continuum. Essentially, the concert is designed to showcase Mayer's ability to move from melodic soft rock and pop to folky solo numbers and rockin' blues. Generally, the conceit works and the concert does shine a light, so to speak, on Mayer's virtuosic musical chops. However, segmenting this concert into such specific aesthetic sounds loses some of the diverse flow a Mayer concert usually has. It should be noted that the concert is also available on DVD and Blu-ray, where you get see each band and appreciate the diversity among the ensembles. That said, for fans of Mayer the songwriter, you really can't lose, as the guy is hard-pressed to come up with a bad song, and tracks like the fan favorite "Daughters" and the bittersweet "Stop This Train" really benefit from the acoustic reading Mayer gives them here. Similarly, by putting "'Who Do You Think I Was," "Vultures," and his inspired take on Jimi Hendrix's "Bold as Love" in the middle electric trio section, Mayer builds the energy of the concert, perfectly setting up the pop/blues cornucopia of the final large ensemble set. Beginning with the hit "'Waiting on the World to Change," Mayer's last set (on disc two) is really the set most fans will gravitate toward, as it finds Mayer and his backing group of stellar sideman diving headlong into such soulful numbers as "Why Georgia" and "I Don't Trust Myself (With Loving You)," while also making room for such bluesy nuggets as his Stevie Ray Vaughan-inspired reworking of the Ray Charles hit "I Don't Need No Doctor" (a number heard on John Scofield's That's What I Say with Mayer as guest). Admittedly sprawling and ambitious, Where the Light Is is nonetheless a dynamic showcase for Mayer, who never fails to shine.</p><p>— <strong>Matt Collar</strong></p> |
| John Mayer | Battle Studies | <p>It's no secret that John Mayer is a 21st Century Fox, wining and dining women all through the tabloid headlines, so it's about time he delivered an album that traded upon his loverman persona -- and Battle Studies is that record in spades. Retaining more than a modicum of the slick soul-blues undertones of Continuum, Mayer fashions a modern groove album, a record that maintains a smooth seductive vibe so thoroughly it spills into a weird one-man band cover of "Crossroads," turning Clapton's contained Cream masterwork into something about vibe, not virtuosity. Mayer remains a disciple of Slowhand, but he shows an unusual interest in the big AOR stylings of Journeyman, along with Stevie Ray Vaughan's In Step, creating a coolly clean blend of synths and Strats, one that's as much about texture as it is song -- something perfectly appropriate for a make-out album like this. Sometimes, Mayer dips too heavily toward the texture -- not just in the sound sculptures in the bedding of "Heartbreak Warfare," but even the strum-n-croon of "All We Ever Do Is Say Goodbye" -- and his love-as-war metaphors land with the thud of a dud bomb, but he can't resist a good, tight melody and builds the bulk of Battle Studies upon them: the elegant "Half of My Heart," the stoned self-deprecating wit of "Who Says," the softly soulful "Perfectly Lonely." Here, Mayer is effortlessly seductive and somewhat irresistible, and it's easy to see why the ladies love cool John.</p><p><strong>—Stephen Thomas Erlewine<strong></p> |
| Les McCann | Swiss Movement | |
| Les McCann | Talk to The People | |
| Mike McClellan | Mike McClellan | |
| Mike McClellan | Ask Any Dancer |
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