If so, what’s your take on his new album?
I personally like it, but it is a huge sidetrack from his older music (though there are some songs that are quite similar).
I’ve listened to it for a few days now and i’m still adjusting. And then I watched the first ep. of CSI LV, and there he was playing a few songs =) Awesome.
Sidetrack? I’ve heard some of his stuff but not the new album: how does it compare?
As I said in this recent thread, I’m a John Mayer convert. Try! is an amazing album, if you ignore the “Daughters” encore.
John Mayer the wicked blues guy or John Mayer the annoying emo-ish guy?
There’s more to emo than being whiny. Not much more, but some.
Yeah, he lost me with that “Daughters” business. But I hear he learned some new tricks with his guitar for the new album.
For the most part I regard him as somehow like Dave Matthews with even less testicles, but I did see that new Volkswagen commercial and damn that guy can pop off a sweet little jam.
The guy is a phenomenal guitarist. Ive played guitar for the better part of 9 years, and still find that his songs incredibly hard.
Yeah, I agree, daughters was definitely not the highlight of his career…
Gigi: most of the songs don’t really fit his old style, but there are a few songs that have the same style of playing… Give “Stop this train” a shot…
Just curious: why does everybody hate emo so? Emo is, and for that matter never was, about whining and dressing up like wimps. but I can certainly understand why people get so fed up with emo-kids…
I started listening to emo about 8 years ago, and for the first time I could say that I listened to something that nobody else listened to in school (mind you, this was before it was hip to be emo). I loved intricate melodies, the absense of those ridiculous guitar solos that dominate rock music, and most of all the cheesy, generic, cookiecutter lyrics. So, what’s your excuse? 
I’m 52. 
To be fair, the quote was “emo-ish” rather than “emo”. But a lot of times I too go 
when someone is too quick to throw out the E-word.
He’s like Eric Clapton in a lot of ways. He’ll show up somewhere with BB King or Buddy Guy and just play amazingly well, and prove to the world that he’s a great guitarist. Then he’ll blow all that cred by cranking out an album of boring, soulless pop. Then he’ll do something else amazing…
I’m hoping that as he gets older he’ll gravitate more and more towards blues and blues rock, and leave the pop jingles behind. He has the raw talent to be ranked up with the guitar greats - he just needs to be a little more consistent in his musical taste.
I love his new album, I was listening to it before it was officially released and have been continually listening to it ever since. I got a copy of some radio show he did in L.A. where he talked a little bit about each song before they played them, so you really got a feel of what each song is about. I can play his cover of “Bold is Love” all day long.
Saw him in concert last month and he was amazing. Totally fell love.
I haven’t heard his blues stuff, but Pink Floyd closed the book on blues rock soloes with The Wall, so it’s irrelevant to me
OTOH, I could use at least one talented current soft-pop musician: lord knows there’s no other contender for the title. YMMV, of course.
I was watching a show on public television a couple of yeas ago, (I think they replay it every time they do a fund drive,) and John Mayer (along with some othe fantastic guitarists,) was on it. I didn’t know who he was while he was playing, and man, that guy can play. It was like he was channelling Jimi, or Stevie Ray, just absolutely incredible. Then after about 5 minutes he opened his mouth and began to sing. I was like WTF? That pussy assed pop artist is THIS guitarist? He doesn’t have a bad voice at all, but Ye Gods, man, do what you’re good at. I still have a disconnect between his playing and his Top 40 crap. (Full disclosure, I have yet to hear any CD in it’s entirety, can anyone recommend one?)
I like the “Austin City Limits” John Mayer. Awsome blues guitarist.
The “Mousy Office Clerk Girl” John Mayer I can do without.
Didn’t work with Clapton. I guess it’s “I pay the bills with pap and then I can do what I want,” like John Cassavetes, whose acting made his directing possible.
You mean I am supposed to read other posters? Oh. Shit. I’ve been doing this all wrong.
Sorry for the hijack, but what the f is Emo anyway? According to Wikipedia, emo music has been around since the 90s, but appartently it must have been so fringe that I have never even heard the term to even wonder what it was.
The 21 year old interns seem to use the term “emo” like we might have used the term “homo” or “gay” back in the day. They also use it to describe artsy, light music like James Blunt. According to what I’ve read, it seems to describe an offshoot of punk - bands like Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Panic! At the Disco - which seems to be characterized by albims with really long song titles and a sound similar to Blink 182 or Sum 41 but more whiny and sarcastic.
I certainly wouldn’t call John Mayer “Emo”. His sound is more rooted in traditional blues and rock, similar to Dave Mathews or The Wallflowers.
Anyhow to answer the OPs question, he’s ok. I liked his guest appearance on The Chapelle Show.
John Mayer - further proving that songwriting is only 10% talent, 90% imagination
As for the emo thing, to answer your question to the best of my knowledge, msmith537, when emo was actually considered a legitimate subgenre of rock music, it was populated by bands like Weezer and Sunny Day Real Estate (both whom are pretty good, well, at least Weezer were before the Green Album). But now “emo” seems to be relegated to bands who are…well, pussies, for lack of a better term.
Your Panic! At the Discos and Fall Out Boys, who tend to be more concerned with how well they’re dressed and whether they have enough makeup on. At least that’s how the come across, because they sure as hell don’t seem to be putting any thought into their music.
So no, I wouldn’t consider John Mayer to be emo, though his songs do suck pretty hard (despite his talent with a guitar).