Those of us who hoped that John Mayer’s last two releases (the phenomenal pop-blues compilation Continuum and the hard edged electric blues live album with his trio Try!) were foreshadowing for the shedding of yet another, perhaps the final, layer of his pop skin on Battle Studies should go ahead and toss that hope aside. Mayer has said “As a pop musician, I want to be the prism for taking what I know is a very powerful style of music [blues] and somehow crystallizing it into something that is identifiable as being now.” If this be his goal on Battles Studies, unfortunately he is no closer than with his last attempt on Continuum. In this respect Continuum was no failure, it took steps few others have attempted, like a perfect cover of Hendrix’s “Bold As Love,” and Battle Studies only falls short in its inability to top its predecessor.
With this in mind, the new album is a strong pop performance and Mayer’s musicianship and guitar virtuosity do not fall between the cracks. The pop-star’s very public love life and break ups shine through throughout the whole album, but especially on the first three tracks “Heartbreak Warfare,” “All We Ever Do Is Say Goodbye,” and “Half Of My Heart (with Taylor Swift).” The three are throwbacks to the John Mayer of Room for Squares, full of multilayered harmonies, soft acoustic guitar, and somewhat lame lyrics about love.
Any musician will tell you that that order of songs on an album plays an important role, and what the opening three on this record scream is soft-rock, acoustic-pop. Bizzarly enough, as soon as Ms. Swift whispers her final line, Mayer throws in “Who Says,” with the simple and funny line “who says I can’t get stoned?” This helps shift the whole tone Battle Studies, especially when followed by “Perfectly Lonely,” complete with the raw guitar and passionate vocals Trio fans yearn for. “Perfectly Lonely,” is a great song. Subtle vocal harmonies from drummer Steve Jordan in just the right spots and simple instrumentation give it the understated feel of the blues-rock Mayer is so good at, and it leaves him room to explore. The subsequent tune, “Assassin,” is even better, beginning with an airy tinkling of a xylophone accompanied only by tasteful bass and Mayer’s voice. The second verse adds sparse delayed guitar chords hinting a build up and when the drums come in with full force at the chorus, we’re there. “Assassin” has all the qualities of a Mayer song, but with an intangible sound he’s never really shown before – perhaps an indication of his growth as a producer.
A la Continuum’s “Bold As Love,” Mayer cover’s a blues classic with Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads.” He takes the tune in a different direction, and certainly has the chops to pull it off, but it seems unnecessary. A superb finale, the opposite is true with "I'm On Fire" (Bruce Springsteen), as the slow acoustic ballad finds Mayer at his best vocally.
Battles Studies shows flashes of brilliance and overall warrants a listen through several times over. The production is strong and musicianship on point. It is unclear, however, if this is the John Mayer we can continue to expect or whether the young artist is still struggling through a musical identity crisis – “Am I a pop musician, or am I a blues-guitar God?” Unfortunately in the MTV generation of impatience (especially with music), many gems of the album that lack radio appeal will be lost at the wayside.
