John Mayer Trio Try!

By far the best record released by John Mayer, this should prove all the doubters wrong once and for all... bring on the studio album

The first thing anyone will notice is that whether or not this new John Mayer is a phase or something that's going to stay, it's a hell of a lot better than where he was only a year ago. That's not to discredit anything that Mayer has released previously, for the short amount of time that he's been a part of the music industry, he's undoubtedly made his mark, however, as he's admitted himself, he can't make hopelessly romantic/sappy pop songs forever. So in enters the new John Mayer, which in itself is a bit of a misnomer because anyone who's seen him in concert probably always had a feeling in the back of their mind that he had this in him. Of course, thinking it, and seeing it played out consistently over the course of a 60-plus minute album, is something completely different, and that's what's so impressive about this effort. Outside of two tracks, the album is all new material, with a couple of very noteworthy covers. The best of these covers is a surprisingly effective "I've Got a Woman," which finds Mayer at his strongest in terms of vocal delivery, as his voice floats ever so gleefully above the music. This is where the moniker of the "new John Mayer" is applicable: before, one could see John Mayer as being a shy sort, where now there's an accentuated air of confidence about him, he really knows and loves what he's doing now, and it shows. If the lead single of "Who Did You Think It Was?" isn't enough, check out the 7:40 straight out blues of "Out of My Mind." Here, Mayer completely engulfs himself into the blues genre, not just with his guitar (on which he has some mesmerizing solos), but also with his voice. No, it's not full of the richness that help make certain blues artists legends, but at the same time, he's so unintimidated that it really doesn't matter, the heart and soul of the piece and his emotions are still there. Not straying so far off the beaten path are the tracks "Vultures" and even more so "Gravity," which are also stellar songs. In "Vultures," the underlying elements of the song is all blues, but the vocals and lyrical delivery is very much in John Mayer's typical style. This creates an interesting tension, that Mayer completely breaks through every time he hits the high notes of the chorus. "Gravity," rather than wallowing in the same way that many of his other songs did, is instead delivered with such an air of experience that it feels more real, and reads more of a traditional rock ballad than light-hearted pop song. It also finds Mayer at his best in terms of songwriting, something that is followed through with nearly every other track on this great live album.

Having already relatively high expectations coming into listening to this album, it's amazing to still come away impressed after listening through the album, and with each repeated listen there are nuances of John Mayer's newfound approach that make the album all the more interesting. Highly recommended.

★★★★¾