John Mayer is releasing a new CD in September called "Continuum". He recently did a very cool thing and hosted a show on an LA radio station (Star 98.7FM) where he played the entire record, speaking about each track in turn. The whole show was very cool; being able to get an early listen was nice, and hearing John talk a little about each track was fun.
Overall, I think this CD is excellent. "Room For Squares" is still my favourite "complete" CD, but there are a number of excellent tracks on this new offering, and I can see the whole thing growing on me more and more. It is blues in places, soul in places, and all through it features his fantastic guitar playing. His vocals seem very laid back, effortless; the song writing excellent as always.
Track by track:
Waiting On The World To Change - a great opener, although it was apparently the last track he recorded for the CD.
I Don't Trust Myself With Loving You - a very laid back track, very soulful, with a great falsetto chorus, and some lovely harmonies. His vocals in this track seem almost effortless. Great use of keyboards for some of the musical themes (instead of the usual guitar). Some nice little brass riffs and fills.
Belief - Ben Harper plays on this, and John says he made it "really gritty". The acoustic guitar and melody working together remind me of something Sting might have put out. This song has really grown on me a lot.
Gravity - written for record, but it was played live by the John Mayer Trio last year. Still an excellent track though.
The Heart Of Life - this is a song that would appeal to anyone who ever had to deal with anything in life.
Vultures - another one that made into the Trio's live set. John swears this is NOT about the record industry...
Stop This Train - James Valentine from Maroon 5 plays acoustic guitar on this track. It has a mild country feel, and is about "begging to go back", slowing something down and returning to a place you feel comfortable with.
Slow Dancing In A Burning Room - a song about the end of a relationship. A nice ballad, with some excellent lyrics. You'll relate to this if you are a person who has faced the end of a relationship where both people know it is the right thing to do, but it is hard anyway. "The deep and dying breath of this love that we've been working on".
Bold As Love - this is a Hendrix tune, although John says he approached it as a song writer, not a guitar player. A really excellent cover version.
Dreaming With A Broken Heart - This is about dreaming about someone special, only to wake up and remember it is really all over. "When you're dreaming with a broken heart, the waking up is the hardest part". It has a great piano intro, which is a break from the usual guitar.
In Repair - John says he doesn't really know the impetus for this song, but he did say it is a really likely candidate for a 15 minutes guitar solo at the end of the upcoming live gigs. :-)
I'm Gonna Find Another You - this is the after record mint; In Repair was going to be the last track. This is total soul - the horns were arranged by Willie Mitchell (who worked with Al Green, among others). Recording was done in a small studio in Memphis. It has a great guitar and vocals intro and the lyrics are great. Fantastic ending to a great record.
It's been 2 years since the last studio record, and this one has definitely been worth the wait. It is out on September 11th or 12th (depending on where you live!), and I would highly recommend picking this CD up as soon as you get a chance.
