The Red Circle

OK. Let’s talk John Mayer, a musician who has been bringing us incredible pop rock tunes since 1999. His sound has evolved to encompass more maturity within four studio albums and one EP than most artists even see throughout their entire career. He has changed the way some of us think of the “pop rock” genre, and even the “blues rock” category. Much can even be said about his history. He’s performed on stage with amazing musicians like Eric Clapton, Ben Harper, Sheryl Crow, Buddy Guy, and more. He’s definitely had a rather fulfilling career, not to mention a bright future.

But let me set you up with a bit of an overview. In this article I want to focus solely on why his newest effort, Battle Studies is beyond great. With everyone their cousins all blogging and reviewing music today, it’s super easy for scrutiny to get the best of an artist. John Mayer has consistently been criticized throughout his entire career based on his choices of musical output. The credibility of said writers is clearly in question (mine as well), but one can only imagine how it effects his songwriting. I have to say, though, that after reading many reviews, seemingly thousands of listeners are getting a distorted perception of what John is bringing to the table. My opinion is no more important than anyone else’s, however my perception may provide a little clarity to those who are seemingly jumping on the bandwagon. Battle Studies has been called a “safe” album by most critics, citing that he’s lacking the mature outreach that he once had with his Continuum record. Many have said that it’s almost like he took a step backwards, rather than forward. I disagree. This album is actually another branch out. Let’s dip into this record a bit to see why.

The album opens up with “Heartbreak Warfare”, a track that is both simple, and touching at the same time. With so much reverb and echo, it could almost be mistaken for an outtake from U2′s The Joshua Tree. Pino Palladino’s bass line creates a rhythm that immediate causes your head to bop. John quickly hooks the listener lyrically with lines like “Clouds of sulfur in the air. Bombs are falling everywhere, It’s heartbreak warfare”. At this point it seems like the listener has been setup for 45 minutes of love-bashing predictability, however we discover this is not the case by the time the next track, “All We Ever Do Is Say Goodbye” comes around. Granted the chorus lines and title of the song may beg to differ, but there is more to this song than what is being said.

It’s at this point where I need to bring something to your attention. John has gained the ability to use subtlety on his records to a point where it can take dozens of listens before picking up each tracked instrument. This is a challenge for artists, and takes an enormous amount of skill to have an ear for necessity. On this song in particular, listen very carefully to what you’re hearing at the end. John has placed an acoustic slide guitar part very deeply within the mix, to the point where the notation hardly comes out. The beauty of this though, is that the actual sound of the slide itself scratching against the strings of the acoustic has been brought forward. With a dab of some beautiful reverb polish, it mixes in so well that the listener doesn’t even notice that they’re hearing it, however it creates this rough, shaky vibe that surrounds the outro. Little pieces like this are what take the story behind a song and turn it into a theme. Not only does this song lyrically state exactly what needs to be said, John has allowed the listener to be able to feel what he’s trying to say. This way people can relate to the song on a much higher level, and usually not even know why. To develop this kind of skill and creativity as a musician takes years of hard work.

There are musical illustrations like this all over the record. John is also okay with making the records dynamics, well… Dynamic. One moment John will be pumping out anthems that celebrate being alone (“Perfectly Lonely”), and the next he’s stating he’s in such dire need of being with someone (“Edge of Desire”) that he’s going to “set fire to everything he sees.” John personally stated that “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.” He makes this evident by ending the album with the powerful track “Friends, Lovers or Nothing.”

So going back to the statement that John Mayer has made a “safe album, lacking personality”. I call shenanigans! John doesn’t have to be shredding over a 1,4,5 blues scale in order to be “different”. He’s a songwriter, and a damn good one at that (“Neon” anyone?). What many critics fail to see is that there is a difference between being “oh so original and edgy” and just being good at making music. The beauty and brilliance of music is that literally no one can tell you what to create. Music is a creation that comes from within, and if John wants to make a “heartbreak handbook” record, then so be it. IT’S MUSIC! He has every right to create whatever he desires. It’s an added bonus that he’s a brilliant musician at that.

Since its release on November 17^th, 2009, Battle Studies has sold over 300,000 copies. If you’re someone who enjoys a really good record from start to finish, I recommend picking this one up. Taylor Swift makes an appearance on “Half of My Heart”, and John also takes the liberty of covering the Robert Johnson tune “Crossroads” (inspired by the original Cream cover version). Although the latter does seem slightly out of place, the overall record is a good listen. For fans of Mayer, it’s a near essential. For those who are still unsure about the man’s ability and songsmanship – this is decent jumping off point. Recommended.

8 out of 10

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