John Mayer - Battle Studies [CD]

Battle Studies

It's no secret that John Mayer is a 21st Century Fox, wining and dining women all through the tabloid headlines, so it's about time he delivered an album that traded upon his loverman persona - and Battle Studies is that record in spades. Retaining more than a modicum of the slick soul-blues undertones of Continuum, Mayer fashions a modern groove album, a record that maintains a smooth seductive vibe so thoroughly it spills into a weird one-man band cover of "Crossroads," turning Clapton's contained Cream masterwork into something about vibe, not virtuosity. Mayer remains a disciple of Slowhand, but he shows an unusual interest in the big AOR stylings of Journeyman, along with Stevie Ray Vaughan's In Step, creating a coolly clean blend of synths and Strats, one that's as much about texture as it is song - something perfectly appropriate for a make-out album like this. Sometimes, Mayer dips too heavily toward the texture - not just in the sound sculptures in the bedding of "Heartbreak Warfare," but even the strum-n-croon of "All We Ever Do Is Say Goodbye" - and his love-as-war metaphors land with the thud of a dud bomb, but he can't resist a good, tight melody and builds the bulk of Battle Studies upon them: the elegant "Half of My Heart," the stoned self-deprecating wit of "Who Says," the softly soulful "Perfectly Lonely." Here, Mayer is effortlessly seductive and somewhat irresistible, and it's easy to see why the ladies love cool John. ~ by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Performer	John Mayer
Music genre	Alternative, Rock
Music subgenre	Singer/Songwriter
Media format	CD
Has parental advisory label	N
Number of discs	1
Track listing	Heartbreak Warfare,All We Ever Do Is Say Goodbye,Half Of My Heart - Featuring Taylor Swift,Who Says,Perfectly Lonely,Assassin,Crossroads,War Of My Life,Edge Of Desire,Do You Know Me,Friends Lovers Or Nothing
Record label	Columbia
Songwriter	songwriter
Track name	Heartbreak Warfare, All We Ever Do Is Say Goodbye, Half of My Heart, Who Says, Perfectly Lonely, Assassin, Crossroads, War of My Life, Edge of Desire, Do You Know Me, Friends, Lovers or Nothing
Music media format	CD
Is edited	N
Is enhanced	N