Wax Pick: John Mayer – Battle Studies
December 18th, 2009 | Published in wax picks
Amazon’s got John Mayer’s newest album, Battle Studies, up for $3.99 today. A well-spent $4 for one of this generation’s most prolific guitarists and song writers. I’ve read a lot of mixed reviews about it; some think it’s too country, some think it’s too pop, some think Johnny’s sold out (whatever that means these days). In my estimation, John’s just doing exactly what I talked about in WWTV 007 by making music that he’s feeling at the moment. People won’t reject it for not sounding like Heavier Things or because there’s not enough guitar shreddage (yes, that’s a real word). Fans are just looking for more John Mayer, which is present on every album he’s cut, no matter how much the genre ebbs and flows.
Cast away your expectations and walk into it wanting nothing more than some good catchy songs, and you’ll enjoy it. Definitely not one of the most memorable, or my favorite, Mayer album; but that doesn’t make it void of worth. The longer I sit with it, the more it takes me in.
John Mayer is single-handedly reviving the stratocaster. Respect it.
