Mayer matures on new CD

By Lauren Oyler
Hurricane High School

If John Mayer’s new album, “Continuum,” were a person, it would be a suave twenty-something with really good hair. All the ladies would flock to it, and in its spare time, it would collect vintage vinyl records and hang out at jazz clubs.

In other words, “Continuum” epitomizes cool.

A longtime John Mayer fan, I was somewhat skeptical of this album when I heard that it was a departure from his catchy, younger image. Plus, he had not had a solo release since 2003’s “Heavier Things,” and the music world had almost forgotten him. However, I was certainly not disappointed when Mayer’s new soulful sound echoed from my stereo’s speakers.

“Continuum” balances expected - yet surprisingly refreshing - songs about relationships and unassumingly optimistic lyrics with bluesy guitar riffs. Particularly interesting is “Stop This Train” in which Mayer expresses that he is “so scared of getting older. I’m only good at being young.”

The CD offers more for an audience around Mayer’s age, 29, but younger listeners should not be intimidated by the singer-songwriter’s newfound maturity. The laid-back instrumentals would also be the perfect background music for a hot date.

In fact, it’s almost as if Mayer wrote some of the songs on this album for men to use to seduce their dates. Songs like “Gravity,” about infidelity, and “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” have particularly sexy vibes.

One exception is Mayer’s oddly amateurish attempt at a Hendrix cover. While there is no question that Mayer can handle the tune “Bold as Love” — his guitar skills are incredible — the cover is awkward among the mellow tracks on “Continuum.”

It seems as if Mayer chose to do the cover to appeal to his more sophisticated listeners. Unfortunately, the track pales in comparison to his original compositions like “Gravity” and “I Don’t Trust Myself (with Loving You).”

It simply doesn’t flow with the rest of the album. If Mayer were so concerned with producing a cover, he should have chosen early Sting or even Ben Harper, whose bluesy styles more closely match Mayer’s sound on the album.

The song selection is more philosophical than uplifting (the simple “Heart of Life” excepted), and it causes one to wonder if Mayer faced life-changing realizations while composing the album.

“Continuum” will probably not be as successful as, say, the solo debut of that lyrical mastermind Fergie, but Mayer’s music is much more likely to be appreciated by a deeper-thinking demographic.