Musician John Mayer performs at the Michael Jackson public memorial service held at Staples Center on July 7, 2009 in Los Angeles. (KEVORK DJANSEZIAN/MCT / July 7, 2009)
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Call it his wallpaper album.
After pumping out tight blues-rock with his trio on 2005's "Try!" and dabbling in earthy soul on 2006's "Continuum," John Mayer returns with a collection of songs so smooth, they barely stick on "Battle Studies" (Columbia).
Mayer says in the press notes that he wrote the album with "the timelessness of Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac and Neil Young in mind. The melodies and message are concise and from-the-gut, with the efficiency of simplicity."
The message certainly comes from the gut. Lyrically, the 32-year-old Fairfield native has been doing some soul searching, judging by song titles such as "Heartbreak Warfare," "All We Ever Do Is Say Goodbye," "Perfectly Lonely," "War of My Life" and "Friends, Lovers or Nothing."
There's plenty here about the vagaries of the human heart, occasionally for the better ("Edge of Desire," sort of), but more often for the worse. It's risky reading autobiography into first-person song lyrics, but it's safe to say that whoever narrates these tunes is no stranger to heartache.
Musically, the album doesn't bear as much resemblance to Petty, Young or the Mac as Mayer might hope. Although the songs are tuneful, they're low-key and drowsy, almost to the point of lethargy.
That's probably a recipe for staggering commercial success, but let's not confuse that with a bold new artistic direction for Mayer. Although his talent as a pop songwriter and a fierce guitarist mean he's certainly capable of one ("Continuum," for example), this isn't it.
His vocals here are mostly murmurs, and the musical accompaniment, though skillful throughout, lacks the punch of his previous albums.
Little jolts of electric guitar help a little on "Half of My Heart," which features vocals from Taylor Swift, and Mayer finally lets his voice and guitar loose on "Assassin." Covering " Crossroads" as a lite-funk tune was a questionable choice, though, given the existence already of two definitive versions: Robert Johnson's original and Cream's devastating cover.
Those songs are timeless. Lovely as it is, "Battle Studies" is better suited to a more specific time frame: nap time.
After pumping out tight blues-rock with his trio on 2005's "Try!" and dabbling in earthy soul on 2006's "Continuum," John Mayer returns with a collection of songs so smooth, they barely stick on "Battle Studies" (Columbia).
Mayer says in the press notes that he wrote the album with "the timelessness of Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac and Neil Young in mind. The melodies and message are concise and from-the-gut, with the efficiency of simplicity."
The message certainly comes from the gut. Lyrically, the 32-year-old Fairfield native has been doing some soul searching, judging by song titles such as "Heartbreak Warfare," "All We Ever Do Is Say Goodbye," "Perfectly Lonely," "War of My Life" and "Friends, Lovers or Nothing."
There's plenty here about the vagaries of the human heart, occasionally for the better ("Edge of Desire," sort of), but more often for the worse. It's risky reading autobiography into first-person song lyrics, but it's safe to say that whoever narrates these tunes is no stranger to heartache.
Musically, the album doesn't bear as much resemblance to Petty, Young or the Mac as Mayer might hope. Although the songs are tuneful, they're low-key and drowsy, almost to the point of lethargy.
That's probably a recipe for staggering commercial success, but let's not confuse that with a bold new artistic direction for Mayer. Although his talent as a pop songwriter and a fierce guitarist mean he's certainly capable of one ("Continuum," for example), this isn't it.
His vocals here are mostly murmurs, and the musical accompaniment, though skillful throughout, lacks the punch of his previous albums.
Little jolts of electric guitar help a little on "Half of My Heart," which features vocals from Taylor Swift, and Mayer finally lets his voice and guitar loose on "Assassin." Covering " Crossroads" as a lite-funk tune was a questionable choice, though, given the existence already of two definitive versions: Robert Johnson's original and Cream's devastating cover.
Those songs are timeless. Lovely as it is, "Battle Studies" is better suited to a more specific time frame: nap time.
