John Mayer proves he’s experienced

By Lucian Tucker
Collegian Editor
October 11, 2006

John Mayer brought a different tone to the booth when recording his latest album, Continuum. Debuting at number two on the billboard charts, the smooth-voiced songwriter/guitar player treats fans to 12 solid tracks that deviate from the pop-sound his listeners are used to, and leans more towards blues.

The first track on the album – and coincidentally his first single – “Waiting On The World To Change” is Mayer’s first political song. Essentially, it’s his take on the war in Iraq. It’s not a song bashing Bush, nor is it pro-war. It’s a call for the youth of America to open their eyes: “When you trust your television/ What you get is what you got/ ’Cause when they own the information/ They can bend it all they want.”

While the first song is political, the bulk of the remaining tunes deal with love, a common theme in his music, and the bad parts of relationships, something Mayer is not known for. In “Slow Dancing In a Burning Room,” Mayer talks about being out-of-love and even drops the “b” bomb, another first for the singer. “I’ll make the most of all the sadness/ You’ll be a b**** because you can.”

Continuing the “relationships gone bad” approach, in “I’m Gonna Find Another You,” Mayer’s lyrics depict a broken man trying to get over a relationship and move on. “You got me crying/ As was your plan/ But when my loneliness is through/ I’m gonna find another you.”

Fans of Mayer will know that “Gravity” and “Vultures” are two songs from his last album, Try!, where he partnered up with a bass and drum player to form the jazz band John Mayer Trio. Luckily, Mayer recorded the two songs with a different sound, more so on “Gravity” than on “Vultures.”

Mayer, like many guitar players, has covered several old rock and pop songs in his live performances, but these covers normally do not appear on his albums. The ninth track on Continuum, “Bold As Love,” is a cover of a great Jimi Hendrix song, and Mayer definitely makes the song his own. It is one of my personal favorites as Mayer has an amazing solo near the end.

To create the blues vibe on Continuum, Mayer received help from several big-name musicians, such as guitarists Ben Harper, Charlie Hunter and James Valentine, bassist Willie Weeks and Roy Hargrove, a magnificent trumpet player. The drummer of John Mayer Trio, Steve Jordan, accompanies Mayer on every song, and also co-produced Continuum. The trio’s bassist, Pino Palladino, is also present.

Much more mature than his previous albums, Continuum may not be for Mayer’s fans who love him for his former teen-pop sound. His lyrics are more meaningful, and the overall tempo is slower, than his former albums. Only after listening to some of the songs several times, will you catch everything and understand its true meaning.

That being said, playing video games or chatting with friends in the car while listening to this album is out of the question for those who really want to enjoy Continuum. “Stop This Train,” for example, a song about the sting of growing older, was hard to grasp the first three times around. It wasn’t until I really listened to the song that I realized the true genius of it: “No I’m not colorblind/ I know the world is black and white.”

Many compare Mayer to other contemporary guitarists such as Jack Johnson and Dave Matthews, but this album helps to set this unique songwriter apart from the aforementioned crowd. Mayer recently admitted he is still in the process of finding his “sound,” but Continuum is definitely a step in the right direction.

tuckerl1@lasalle.edu