John Mayer Trio, John Mayer, Steve Jordan, Pino Palladino - Try! John Mayer Trio Live in Concert

Longtime listeners have seen it coming: it was only a matter of time before John Mayer dropped the pop star pretense and proved he could really bring it. Chalk it up to one too many Dave Matthews comparisons, or the cupcake-sweet residue stuck to his image after the success of "Your Body Is a Wonderland"--but something convinced Mayer it was time to take him game to the next level. With help from studio pros Steve Jordan and Pino Palladino, he succeeds on Try. If the muscled-up covers of Jimi Hendrix's "Wait Until Tomorrow" and Ray Charles' "I Got a Woman" don't scream "no more Mr. Nice Guy" loud enough, the brawn of blues-rock opener "Who Do You Think I Was" does for sure. Mixed in with the Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Clapton-esque stuff are a few mellow numbers--"Daughters," most notably, returns from Heavier Things alongside "Something's Missing"--but even those songs seem hopped up on rock-God hormones. This newfound sizzle can't fix everything; that segment of the music-buying public that would accuse the singer of having a voice like "a whispering midget" (to quote a customer review of Mayer's work) won't want to add this disc to their collection. The good news for Mayer, though, is that anybody with an ear for genuine rock'n'roll chops will. --Tammy La Gorce Amazon.com

Great Sound!

This was my first experience with John Mayer music and I love it!! The sound is unique, blues style. May 4, 2008

no bubble gum here

this is not your pop radio version of john mayer. here he teams up with steve jordan on drums and pino palladino on bass to create a rockin' sound. it is quite evident that john listened to a lot of srv growing up and some of his solos on this disc show that. get it. April 9, 2008

Come for John, stay for the soulful talent of all

Those who hate John don't get him. That's fine. Leaves more seats available for the fans who DO get him. Blues is blues. Soul is soul. If it sounds right, it doesn't matter if it's an 80 year old white grandma. I swear I think people hate on others out of jealousy - think they can do better but didn't get the break, or don't like to see "Wonderland" guy show even more depth and soul than he had thus far. John makes what he makes, he makes no excuses. He felt he'd done just enough of the acoustic pop, and wanted to get to his bluesy side, the side he alway felt was there but wasn't ready to come out. "TRY!" was it's time to come out. Here, he proves that he does not hide behind flawless productions in the studio - he is out there with two other KILLER musicians who are helping lift him up and get to where he's going musically, and it JUST WORKS. Watch some live performances on YouTube if you still think his guitar chops are questionable. He has proven he has the talent with the guitar, his silky, husky voice matches perfectly with not only this soulful blues/rock, but with his sweet acoustic pop. He is an "all around" musician with something to say, and we should pay attention. And lest anyone think JM has a false sense of self - he knows he's the "white elephant" in the blues room, but I think he shows you he can do it, too, no matter how he got started. How many more blues/jazz/soul endorsements do you need to get off his back??? Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Clapton, Herbie Hancock, John Scofield, etc. "Who Did you Think I Was" tells it all - you though he could ONLY sing sweet panty-dropping songs, but he shows you he can do more - MUCH more, and it's believable. Bottom line - if you're a lover of music, when it's good, then you can judge this fairly as a GREAT soulful blues rock album. I just don't see how anyone can deny the talent present by these three men. Give it a try... March 18, 2008

John Mayer Live

Typical John Mayer! Very good selections of musical jazz and blue's songs. Nice acoustic guitar. Smooth and easy to listen to without a lot of crowd noise that accompanies live albums! January 23, 2008

what a pleasant surprise

I knew next to nothing about John Mayer until I caught a PBS special one night and was blown away with his guitar playing. It was reminiscent of the great rock guitarist and certainly refreshing of a relatively new talent. So I went out and read reviews of all his CD's and decided on "Now".
I was not disappointed. His guitar playing at times reminds me of Stevie Ray Vaughan. And his bass player and drummer are certainly top-notch. I highly recommend this CD for any serious music lover. January 19, 2008

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