Published: Sunday, November 22, 2009
Liner Notes: John Mayer’s best doesn’t come through on CD
Multiplatinum singer songwriter John Mayer released his fourth studio album, “Battle Studies,” on Tuesday.
TRIVIA: Mayer will play KeyArena with Michael Franti & Spearhead on March 31.
STANDOUTS: “Perfectly Lonely” finds Mayer singing about the joys of being single over the pleasant sounds of a B3 organ and Wurlitzer piano.
FANS DIG: Pouty lips.
ANDY SAYS: I kind of like Mayer, as dudes go. His quips have bite. His publicity stunts are self-deprecating. On “Battle Studies,” however, he fails to deliver the qualities that make him an engaging personality. Too often, his airy vocals float over middle-of-the-road instrumentation as he shares sentimental tales of heartbreak. It sounds like the kind of thing Mayer himself would mock on Twitter.
GRADE: C
Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455, arathbun@heraldnet.com
TRIVIA: Mayer will play KeyArena with Michael Franti & Spearhead on March 31.
STANDOUTS: “Perfectly Lonely” finds Mayer singing about the joys of being single over the pleasant sounds of a B3 organ and Wurlitzer piano.
FANS DIG: Pouty lips.
ANDY SAYS: I kind of like Mayer, as dudes go. His quips have bite. His publicity stunts are self-deprecating. On “Battle Studies,” however, he fails to deliver the qualities that make him an engaging personality. Too often, his airy vocals float over middle-of-the-road instrumentation as he shares sentimental tales of heartbreak. It sounds like the kind of thing Mayer himself would mock on Twitter.
GRADE: C
Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455, arathbun@heraldnet.com
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