Search - John Mayer :: Continuum

Maturation of an Artist: Mayer's Continuum shows considerabl

A. G. Corwin | 09/12/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"How many musicians have you ever heard coming out of the suburbs of Fairfield, Connecticut? If you are a John Mayer fan, you know at least one. Pigeonholed as a sensitive pop artist with the debut album, Room For Squares, Mayer shifted tack to a bluesier sound with his second studio release Heavier Things. Joining up with impresarios Steve Jordan and Pino Pallidino, Mayer broke out in full on blues mode with the live album Try! Though some dismissed him, Pallidino and Jordan don't play music with hacks, and anyone who heard the track "Good Love is on the Way" knows the boy can play. With his new studio album, the excellent Continuum, Mayer continues to demonstrate his impressive guitar chops, a more mature songwriting style, and a richer, deeper sound.



The socially conscious first single "Waiting for the World to Change" reminds that "it's hard to beat the system when you're standing at a distance." "I Don't Trust Myself" features a gorgeous guitar sound and some nice fretboard work while the outstanding track "Belief" showcases some strongly emotional lyrics: "we're never going to win the world..we're never gonna stop the war...Belief is what we are fighting for." The likely second single "Gravity" is a soft, slow blues jam on which Mayer plays some fantastic lead guitar. At his recent St Louis concert, all four of these songs blew the crowd away, generating more applause than "Daughters" or "No Such Thing." "The Heart of Life" has a clean, crisp, and spare production with layered harmonies and a subdued guitar making for an elegant track.



The solid track "Vultures" is slinky and moves to a smooth beat with its falsetto harmonies sounding surprisingly good. "Stop this Train" sounds like it came directly off Heavier Things. Mayer sings of broken hearts in the beautiful "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room," which chronicles the end of a relationship , "this is the deep and dying breath, this love we've been working on." Mayer attempts to cover Jimi Hendrix on "Bold as Love", and while the guitar work is amazingly strong his vocals aren't quite as well suited to Hendrix. An elegant ballad sure to make the ladies swoon is "Dreaming With a Broken Heart." A powerful guitar solo highlights "In Repair", and closing track "I'm Gonna Find Another You" has shades of the early Mayer song "Comfortable", but with the addition of horns and electric guitar.



The 12-track record, produced mostly by Mayer with support from Jordan and Pallidino, is an extremely strong, mature collection of songs that showcases Mayer's growth as an artist. His backing band is extremely tight, and the sonic values on ther record are exceptional. Most importantly, Mayer has grown as a songwriter, incorporating new depth and substance to his songs. Those who didn't give him a chance before would be well suited to check him out now. His live shows are incredible and the man has some serious guitar chops. Fans of his earlier pop sound may be a bit disappointed, but will likely adapt quickly based on the response of the young crowds at his concerts. Comparisons to legends like Stevie Ray Vaughn and Eric Clapton are premature, but if Mayer continues on the path he's on, he will have a great career worth following closely. Highly recommended.



A.G. Corwin

St.Louis, MO"

The Album That I've Been Waiting for Mayer To Make

Musac Critic | 09/18/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Finally, John Mayer has realized that he has the potential to utilize his great talents even moreso than he has been. Sure, such a potent Grammy winning number as "Daughters" is a song that might never be forgotten in music history, but CONTINUUM I believe maybe the truest and quite possible the first TRUE John Mayer album that we've heard. The material here as well as the overall sound and timbre easily trumps a majority of Mayer's earlier and previously best material. I am glad to see the virtuostic Mayer (where his guitar chops are concerned) actually embrace the blues-side of rock and venture out in a direction that showcases that bluesy-soulful influence. If nothing else, Mayer's CONTINUUM is easily Mayer's most soulful LP.



The album opens up with the simple enough, but brilliantly simple "Waiting For The World To Change". Unfortunate for the PROMO single is that radio didn't give it the respect that it should've. It is a very nice track and it is one that is tuneful enough that it sticks when you listen to it. What is most admirable and loveable is the soulfulness that pours from this track, almost a newfound soulfulness or a complete rejuvenation of Mayer that ditches "Clarity" or "Bigger Than My Body" for Hendrix, Buddy Guy, B.B. King influenced blues rock.



"I Don't Trust Myself (With Loving You)" is a second consistent number, keeping up the idea of minimalist soulful arrangements coupled with Mayer's awesome, virtuostic guitar playing. Something else key here is that Mayer's vocals sound as mature as ever, not to say that he didn't on HEAVIER THINGS (a very good album, not knocking it), but it is a new found maturity, which was foreshadowed by the TRY! which was a project featuring Mayer's newly formed trio, who are featured on CONTINUUM as well.



"Belief" is yet another strong track. What makes it so cool besides it's driving soulful-rhythmic feel is the booming bass line that is so often "underwhelmed" in adult-alternative music. Here, Mayer has the bass line turned up with a "booming" sound that is perfect for this track. What may even make Mayer's vocal performance stronger here is his subtlety and his use of instrumental breaks in between the verse and the chorus as well as in between parts of the verse.



"Gravity" sounds like it should be featured on say an Anthony Hamilton album or a B.B. King album. The opening guitar solo in the 6 feel is just immaculate. This is yet another 5 star number of 2006, perhaps one of the most touching tracks here. The organ is subtle in the background, but it serves its purpose ten-fold. The songwriting here is as it has been through the entirety of the album-- way above par and above the par that great songwriter Mayer has previously set for himself in the past.



"The Heart Of Life" speeds the tempo back up again after the chilling "Gravity". This track spans more than adult-alternative, and is a track that would sound nearly equally at home on say a Sufjan Stevens album or a country-rock folk album. The guitar sounds great here and yet again John Mayer doesn't disappoint, even if you expect him to after 5 straight great, consistent numbers.



"Vultures" returns a rhythmic groove back to continnum. The sound here is a mix of a classic soul groove and an overall soulful blues-rock arragement. I personally love the sound of Mayer's vocals here as well as the semi-polytonal element of the rhythmic guitar coupled with Mayer's guitar improvisations and riffs. This track is a masterwork of "in the pocket" rhythm section playing and it is just another phenomenal track.



"Stop This Train" is in the same plane as "The Heart Of Life", only there is a slight bit more rhythmic support on the bottom with a very supportive bass line at the bottom of the arrangement. The songwriting here is again great and the chord progression is perfect. I love and "heart" the folk feel and the hearkening to go back to the simpler times of acoustic music and the earthy feel of tracks such as these.



"Slow Dancing In A Burning Room" is personally one of my very favorite tracks here. While all the tracks on this album are great, this one just has the soulfulness that I've been hoping that Mayer would always pull out. It was like I felt Mayer was so close with numbers such as "Daughters" and "Come Back To Bed", but the soufulness that oozes here is phenomenal. The guitar sound is great and reminds me of listening to Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, Eric Clapton, B.B. or any of the great Blues artists.



While "Bold As Love" isn't my favorite, it is very ambitious that Mayer did a Hendrix cover. "Dreaming With A Broken Heart", starts out with an incredibly tender melodic piano line as well as somber lyrics and vocals by Mayer. This is among the tender and most plaintive sounding I've heard Mayer... another winning and enthralling vocal performance that starts out slowly and picks up more and more momentum as the song progresses. Another one of my favorites.



The introductory organ in "In Repair" again marks the maturity of Mayer with CONTINUUM. His sense of what "real music" should represent is made so clear on this album which deserves Grammy nominations! This time you just feel that Mayer got it right with the chilling melodic vocal lines, the exceptional guitar work coupled with everything else. He ends on a high note with "I'm Gonna Gind Another You", which begins with Mayer's soulful chops only accompanied by a bluesy electric guitar. Again, the feel is in six and gradually horns, drums, and organ are added to the mix. It is absolutely chilling and enthralling to listen to. This is the first Mayer album for me that I am able to listen to without stopping... it is THAT GOOD.



The production here is first rate as is both Mayer's songwriting and his vocals. The guitar playing was always there, but maybe because everything else is so great here it sounds that much better and that much stronger. For me, Mayer has made perhaps one of the VERY best albums of 2006. I would love, as I've already said, to see Mayer snatch Grammys for this wonderful and exciting music experience. 4.5 stars!!!"

He Keeps Getting Better...

J. Greeno | Maryland, USA | 09/14/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm a Blues-first music fan, so John Mayer flew under my radar for a long while. I have a profound respect for guitarists, however, so when I saw Mayer play at the Crossroads Guitar Festival a couple years back, I had to see what he was all about. Didn't know what I'd find, but what I saw that day was a guy that was clearly among the best guitarists of his generation.



His first two albums showed me a young artist allowing his music to evolve organically. By no means perfect, but definitely worth the price of admission, and each effort is better than the last.



Recent collaborations with legends such as Herbie Hancock, B.B. King, Sly & The Family Stone, Eric Clapton, and Aaron Neville clearly demonstrate his respected acceptance by the heaviest hitters in the industry, inspiring him to shake off his pop-centric roots and release the blues/rock album Try! with Steve Jordan and Pino Palladino.



And now it's Continuum, released Tuesday as his third solo studio effort. I'm still getting a feel for it, but it's absolutely a big step forward from Heavier Things. This one is best described as a blues/soul album, and each track is a worthwhile effort. John Mayer has carved out a pretty unique sound for himself. While you'll hear lyrical a melodical nods to obvious influences from Marvin Gaye to Curtis Mayfield, the lyric/music combo solidifies Mayer as an artist that has finally found his identity and sound.



In the past, I've seen many references to John Mayer being a "Dave Matthews ripoff" and I can't express just how musically uneducated that opinion is. Aside from being pop singers with guitars in their hands, there's really no obvious connection between the two.



If I had to make an honest comparison, Sting is the first guy that comes to mind. Not because they sound alike, because they don't. Here you have two guys that broke out young and allowed the world and music around them to shape their art. There's no comparing Sting's work with The Police with his latest efforts. His evolution as an artist over the last 30 years is staggering in both style and substance.



I think John Mayer is on a similar path. He keeps changing it up, trying new things, working with artists from multiple genres and allowing it to affect his tastes and creative process. There's no ego about it. It's unpretentious. I never get the sense that he's trying to impress anyone. Instead, each new track builds on what came before, always with a new twist that I rarely expect and always appreciate.



As a Blues fan, it used to pain me a little to admit that I'm a big John Mayer fan. Not anymore, and Continuum is why. Check it out.



4.5/5

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