John Mayer - Heavier Things

John Mayer's big-label debut was a multiplatinum breakthrough success whose sensual anthem "Your Body Is a Wonderland" scored him an unlikely Grammy for Best Pop Vocal. That out-of-the-box succes--and more than a few critics grousing that Mayer's muse was cloned from Dave Matthews--primed him for the typical sophomore slump. Instead, Mayer delivers an album whose tone and title suggests a gentle, tongue-in-cheek rebuke to his naysayers. Propelled by the subtle ambitions of an expanded pop-jazz framework (largely courtesy of Sheryl Crow/No Doubt/Jellyfish producer Jack Joseph Puig), Mayer's breathy vocal tack now suggests a detached, conflicted, and significantly less precious incarnation of Michael Franks. But, the way he weds fluid pop hooks to lyrical concerns whose self-obsessions are undercut by telling dollops of self-deprecation from the my-spirit's-too-big/smart-for-my-body laments of "Clarity," the upbeat single "Bigger Than My Body," and the bluesy plea "Come Back to Bed" to the cautionary, melodically-rich "Daughters" and even the antimaterialist agitprop of "Something's Missing should clearly draw in listeners." --Jerry McCulley Amazon.com

Not That Heavy, But Good Nevertheless

"Heavier Things" is John Mayer's second studio album which was released on September 9th of 2003. The style on this album is soft-rock, as this comes from a period before he transitioned into blues. The album consists of 10 tracks, including the Grammy award winning "Daughters". The title of the album appears to be an answer for those who criticized Mayer's music as being too light.

The album opens with "Clarity", a song for which the meaning is not all that clear, but in general it seems to be about Mayer's self-perception. The second track is "Bigger than My Body" which is about the frustration of not being able to accomplish in reality what one wants to do in their mind, and in particular relates to John Mayer's desire to write more meaningful music. "Something's Missing" is next, and is a pleasant song about how he is trying to determine what is missing in his life. "New Deep" is next, and this song takes on the idea after which the album is named. Thos people who over analyze and find his music is to light, his answer is to lighten up. "Come Back to Bed" completes the first half of the album, and it is a rather simple idea, but a pleasing melody and it fits well with the rest of the album.

"Home Life" starts the second half of the album. It is the one track which was co-written with David LaBruyere. The concept seems to be the singer longing for a home life after being tired of being on the road. "Split Screen Sadness" is a song about still loving and caring about someone who you broke up with. Next up is the wonderful "Daughters" which besides being a good tune has a very important message to parents. "Only Heart" is the next song on the album, an upbeat look at a man dealing with the lack of trust in his relationship. The last song on the album is "Wheel", which seems to be dealing with the nature of relationships in modern society. They come and go, and he almost seems to be convincing a woman who has just had a relationship break-up to move on in her life by starting a relationship with him.

My initial impression of this album is that too many of the songs were similar to each other, and perhaps that is still the case to some extent. However, repeated listening did result in the songs sounding more distinct. There are several very good tracks here; "Daughters", "Bigger than My Body", "Only Heart", and "Clarity" all come to mind. I wouldn't say that any of them are bad, which makes it a good listening album. The lyrics are personal and easy to follow. Those who find them too light should perhaps give them another listen. I'm rounding this one up to four stars.

Outside of John Mayer, there isn't anyone else who plays on all the tracks in this album. Those who helped out on the various tracks include: David LaBruyere (bass) on all tracks except 7 and 8; Jamie Muhoberac (keyboards) on all tracks except 8 and 9; Lenny Castro (percussion) on all tracks except 6, 9 and 10; Matt Chamberlain (drums) on all tracks except 4, 7, 8 and 9; Roy Hargrove (trumpet) and ?uestlove (drums) on track 1; Greg Leisz (lap steel guitar) on tracks 2 and 5; Michael Chaves (guitar) on track 3; Stephen Jordan (drums) on tracks 3, 4 and 5; Dan Higgins (saxophone) and Jerry Hay (trumpet) on track 5; J. J. Johnson (drums) on track 9.
May 15, 2008

Heavier than what a feather? a cloud?

John Mayer sucks....to use the word Rock in anything involving him is an insult to rock. Mayer is a pop princess. April 30, 2008

Something's Missing in Clarity

After his excellent debut album Mayer decided to stick with a proven formula, or should I say, the label decided to stick with a proven formula. The result is not Mayer's best effort, and not even close to it. Yet, this guy is so good, it still gets 5 stars.

First off, is "Clarity," a soft rock song that's simple musically, but complex lyrically. Supposedly, it's Mayer's first thoughts when waking up one morning. "Bigger Than My Body" makes for sense when combined with the previous track (How much does Mayer weigh times his body? Three times.) The song is a great upbeat song which also continues the theme of "No Such Thing" from the last album, and overall makes for an awesome song.

"Come Back To Bed" is most evident style change of the many moods of Mayer, it's also the most unexpected, Country Music. That's right, Mayer makes a song that would be a hit on country radio. This version is a little obscure about it, but if you watched/listened to CMT Crossroads with Mayer and Brad Paisley, then you'd wouldn't know what to think. "Home Life" on the other hand is not another country song like you might think, but instead has a funky style all its own. Either way, a surprisingly good song, with good beats.

"Only Heart" is a good song, except for the fact that it's just a little bit too radio-friendly, and I'm surprised it wasn't a single, however, it probably didn't have the time with the next song. "Daughters" is pretty much what it is, you've probably heard the song, you might think it's sappy, sweet, or just plain weird. Mayer himself isn't a fan of the song, and thought it was too radio-friendly, too poppy. But nope, the record label put it out as a single, which did win Grammy's, but Mayer didn't care. That right there shows what Mayer is made up as an artist. He isn't in it for the money, he's in the game for the music. The song could also be argued as what turns Mayer's style around with his next album.

For the highlights, "New Deep" is a great musical number, with lyrics being about searching for that something that's missing, continuing the theme from the previous song. But the chorus really shines here, while the verses are good, they're building up to the impressive chorus that delivers in true Mayer style, with a little pop added in for good measure. But the true highlight of the album is "Something's Missing," one of Mayer's choices for a single rather than "Daughters." With this song, the verses take a backseat to the light but impressive chorus, and the amazing riff and music Mayer plays on his Fender Stratocaster/Telecaster hybrid. As Mayer said, "I want that, and everything related to that."

Overall, I would say a tie with his debut. They're both what Mayer calls "Mixtapes" and they both have a distinctive pop sound to them. Although they have their highlights, they're not exactly groundbreaking, or maybe not the most original in the world. That being said, nobody does it better. Mayer is a true talent that would have been considered a god in another time. Let's all embrace his music today, and enjoy the melodies he's created. February 20, 2008

Heavier Indeed

Not completely shedding his pop persona quite yet, Mayer's "Heavier Things" is still a much better album that his freshman effort.

This album represents much more complex arrangements and a deeper lyrical effort that focuses more on emotion than visuals.

There are several highlights on this album including Clarity and Come Back to Bed, amongst others. January 25, 2008

Girls become lemons who turn into melons

An organic, pure pop talent during a time when there aren't very many such artists, the rootsy vocal style and excellent soft guitar playing of John Mayer probably belong in another decade, but at least he's helping (or trying valiantly but none too successfully) to save this one for becoming totally worthless. His big hit here was "Daughters" which is probably the most mellow, laid back, and heartfelt song he's made. Because of his somewhat vague singing style, the line "girls become lovers who turn into mothers" may come off as sounding like the title of this review. October 24, 2007

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