John Mayer: Finding A Common Ground
When it comes to John Mayer there really isn’t any in between.
People either love him or loathe him.
The former for his undeniable skills both electrically and acoustically on the guitar, the latter for his smug and at-times arrogant attitude and tabloid exploits.
The reason I bring this up is two-fold.
When any of my friends find out that I’m a fan of Mayer’s discography, I’m usually condemned for liking the stylings of such a pompous, egotistical, self-indulgent artist who makes just as many headlines for his social life as he does for his music (their words, not necessarily mine). Furthermore, my pals facetiously label me as a “Sensy” (to borrow from Zach Braff’s character on Scrubs “Our music is acoustic alternative, we marvel at fireflies, and when we help a drunk girl home from the bar, sure we cop a feel… a feel of her hair as we’re pulling it back so she doesn’t get any vomit in it.”)
Okay, so maybe that description isn’t quite me — at least the part about the fireflies — and, sure Mayer’s lyrics are for the overly-perceptive. However, the alternative reason I bring this up is, after my daily surfing of YouTube, I finally had the opportunity to watch the uploaded DVD of “Where the Light Is – John Mayer Live in Los Angeles”. Not only was the performance flawless, but, in a way, it made me somewhat angry over the fact that critics focus more on Mayer’s personal life than his music — whether it be who he’s dating or what was said in a recent interview.
Maybe I’m of the rare-type, but when I listen to music I’m more interested in what my speakers are producing than what the media is. I focus more on how the specific artist has grown since their last album. With Mayer, you consistently get that. He has transformed himself from a pop-rock newcomer in 2001 to a legitimate and well-respected blues guitarist for not only his solo material but also for his dealings with the John Mayer Trio.
Sure, he’s had some real duds along the way (see “Your Body Is a Wonderland” and “Bigger Than My Body”) that have teetered on the brink of appalling. Yet, for the few missteps he’s encountered, Mayer has always delivered solid work — from his major label debut “Room For Squares” (see “Neon” and “City Love”) that was acoustically-driven to the heavily incorporated rhythm and blues of his latest release “Continuum” (See “Gravity” and “I’m Gonna Find Another You”).
Now I can understand the criticism and no this isn’t a “Leave John Mayer Alone” outcry, but in the end shouldn’t it really be just about the music?
