John Mayer - Battle Studies (2009)

Share this article
    John Mayer
    John_Mayer_-_battlestudies.jpg
    Click on CD cover
    to listen or purchase

    For most of this decade, John Mayer was a moderately promising young singer and guitarist with a college female audience and growing reputation as an intelligent, witty songwriter. Then came Continuum, his 2006 masterpiece that was not only that year's finest album, but a disc that was such a giant leap lyrically, it argably thrust him into the role of his generation's Paul Simon.  From the laid back protestation of the lead single, "Waiting for the World to Change," to the palpable ambivalence of his coming of age gem, "Stop This Train," Mayer established himself as a kind of slacker Gen-Y spokesman, reluctantly approaching 30 and openly contemplating how he and his peers fit in the world into which they were thrust after college.  

    For most of this decade, John Mayer was a moderately promising young singer and guitarist with a college female audience and growing reputation as an intelligent, witty songwriter. Then came Continuum, his 2006 masterpiece that was not only that year's finest album, but a disc that was such a giant leap lyrically, it argably thrust him into the role of his generation's Paul Simon.  From the laid back protestation of the lead single, "Waiting for the World to Change," to the palpable ambivalence of his coming of age gem, "Stop This Train," Mayer established himself as a kind of slacker Gen-Y spokesman, reluctantly approaching 30 and openly contemplating how he and his peers fit in the world into which they were thrust after college.  

    The years since Continuum have oddly found the media-friendly Mayer spending more time in the tabloids for his romances with starlets like Jennifer Aniston and Jessica Simpson than in Rolling Stone for his music.  So while the anticipation for his newest disc, Battle Studies, has been high, there was some open concern as to whether success had spoiled John Mayer -- and the dreamy, well-coiffed picture of Mayer on the cover didn't ease those concerns.  The good news is that Mayer uniformly displays that he is still a master of the pop hook and, usually, a cool attitude to go with it. But the 29-year old man-child whose thoughtful questions made Continuum so fascinating has largely given way to a somewhat more cynical (and less interesting) 32 old storyteller, showing the scars of aging, particularly in romantic relationships.

    Studies starts off disappointingly, with Mayer going full Bono on "Heartbreak Warfare," a surprisingly unsatisfying, big opening cut that may work in 20,000 seat concert arenas, but simply doesn't play to Mayer's strengths.  And while that song stands out as the biggest musical outlier, it does set the rather downer lyrical tone of the album, which is melancholy to a fault in its examination of failing relationships ("All We Do Is Say Goodbye"), post-break up struggles ("Friends, Lovers or Nothing," "Perfectly Lonely") and uncomfortable, ersatz romance ("Who Says," "Half of My Heart").

    While Mayer's mood is...well...kind of a bummer, he again shows that musically he is on top of his game, even as he abandons the conscious soulful elements of Continuum for a straight up light rock sound.  "Half of My Heart" (with guest Taylor Swift) has a mid-90s pop feel that both Top 40 and Country radio should adore; "Perfectly Lonely" is the infectious musical offspring of "Waiting For the World To Change;" and the Beatleesque "Friends, Lovers or Nothing" is nearly perfect in its precision. Longtime Mayer fans will also warm to "Who Says," the kind of light, intimate number in which he has always uniquely excelled.  And his muscular cover of Robert Johnson's "Crossroads," the lone nod to the blues sound to which his more recent albums paid homage, is a nice addition.

    The ultimate punch line of Battle Studies is that it doesn't continue the trajectory of artist development hoped for after Continuum.  That said, Battle Studies is by no means a failure. John Mayer continues to be one of the most important and talented modern popular artists, and his ability to craft a song is nearly unparalleled in the rock world.  His talent merits the #1 charting that Studies will undoubtedly receive, but the release leaves open the big question as to whether Mayer is a very good - almost great - singer/songwriter and modern hitmaker, or whether he can still achieve the kind of singular status among this generation's popular artists that his talent has at times promised.   

    By Chris Rizik