Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 04/08/2008
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 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. 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.
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. 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 soundbites 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 antiwar 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.
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 could easily have become turgid, boring, or dated but 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. 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. [
Columbia's "revised" edition was issued in 2008.]
~Matt Collar, All Music Guide
;)
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