BATTLE STUDIES: MAKING IT THROUGH LOVE LOST SCARRED BUT BETTER OFF BECAUSE OF IT

John Mayer: Perfectly Lonely
From Battle Studies, (Columbia, 2009)

The first thing to know about this album is that it's not “Continuum Pt. 2.” That album, one of the finest albums of the '00s, was critically praised and won numerous awards in its marriage of pop and blues and crafty songwriting.

“Battle Studies,” which you can still listen to in full at Rhapsody, is more pop than its predecessor. Pop over the last ten to fifteen years has become a bit of a dirty word to music connoisseurs. It's part Fleetwood Mac, especially in the Taylor Swift-assisted “Half Of My Heart,” a song in which Mayer has openly admitted he was looking for the Stevie Nicks to his Tom Petty, in part a reference to his “Free Fallin'” cover from last year's “Where The Light Is” CD/DVD. It's part blues on the Robert Johnson-cum-Eric Clapton cover of “Crossroads” that features a blistering guitar jones, more akin to the Clapton version than the '30s version that Johnson laid down. The album also has shades of '70s rock in “Perfectly Lonely.”

From the stripped sounds of “Who Says”, there's an inherent maturity that continues in his work. The lyrics, while upon first listen may feel a bit immature – especially with the stoned reference, offer a deep but simplistic view into the mind of a man still trying to find himself and where he fits in. The music behind it fits perfectly with an almost folk, or at the very least a lite rock, offering. That mood is continued on the sparse, but effective, iTunes-only bonus track, a cover of Bruce Springsteen's “I'm On Fire.”

Upon first listen I thought it was a step backwards artistically until I realized that my expectations of what it should be versus what it is were ruining the experience. Throughout there are nuances of understated musicianship where less is more and buried deeper in the mix is better than in your face. The album shows that you don't always have to follow the same route to get where you're going. Instead, taking a detour can be a way to meet new friends and find new experiences to write about. You'll still get to your destination, but a change in scenery can make the trip far more enjoyable.