Hi,
My name is Surjo and I am a pro-musician, the songs you're hearing (hopefully) are from my debut album 'The Key Has Turned' which you can buy here: here
Today, I shall be reviewing 'Battle Studies' by John Mayer. It's John's 4th studio album and does seem to mark a departure from his sounds from his first 3 studio offerings. The overall sound mellows out a bit, and it also doesn't hit you in the face with crazy guitar melodies. I'm not saying that's missing, it's just not in the forefront, thanks to a more textured sound in the album. Also, for anyone who has heard Steve Jordan play, his stamp and signature style is all over this album, in the drums as well as in the production. The guitars sounds a little grittier, it all sounds a bit warmer, and it all sounds great.
The first song in the album is 'Heartbreak Warfare', and the first thing that pops up is the guitar riff, a cool whammy bar flutter. Off the top of my head, I personally can't remember this being used as the riff for the entirety of a song so John racks up cool musician points walking in. The lyrics are centred around the betrayal by a woman, and the different ways in which John wants to resolve the issue. He wishes her to understand just how much he loves her and he wishes she stop tormenting him. Now who amongst us men hasn't had a woman do that to us. Ladies, treat us gentle. A line which resonated with me in particular was, "How come the only way to know how high you get me, is to see how far I fall?" John has always had a knack for writing people's love stories and he doesn't disappoint here.
'All We Ever Do Is Say Goodbye' is next and that might be a really unlikely song title, there's just something about that phrase that makes it a little morose as a song title, and on listening to the song it is completely justified, the song is just sad. It speaks of a couple in a dysfunctional relationship and the desire of the female to want to try again, and the reluctance of the male since he's walked down that road before, taken steps to reconcile before, given his heart to her before but it has never worked out, and the most common thing that they ever do is two people is break up. A lot of violins in the background on a straightforward melody, which uptil this point in Mayer's career is a rarity. The words are well-written and well expressed, this guy knows what he is doing.
Next up is 'Half Of My Heart' featuring Taylor Swift. Now, I think most of us know that John and Taylor were seeing each other at a point in time and that it ended poorly after that point in time, but I wouldn't be able to say whether they were dating before or after this song. I know it has nothing to do with the song, just trivia I guess. The song is as straightforward and feel-good as can be as far as the music goes, and the lyric isn't quite as feel-good but seems honest enough.This could have been a Fleetwood Mac song, now that I think about it, it does sound like one. More cool points for John. The song talks about John having certain notions about himself as a man who's meant to be alone as a result of his journey so far, and then someone walks in who makes him question that. It's a really smart lyric with some cool plays with words, and it's super feel good.
'Who Say' is the first single from 'Battle Studies', and I can't figure out why. It's not a bad song, but definitely not the killer in the album, maybe trying to reprise 'Daughters' in some way. Although the lyrics score really high on the cool meter. John has always had a sense of expressing that there are more layers to him than his label would allow the public to see. The song challenges his public image with the words expressing a hidden anger that the guitar riff doesn't reflect. The jazz brush routine and the chromatic lines in the riffs almost are happy-go-lucky, but the words are anything but. 'I don't remember you looking any better, but then again, I don't remember you', and 'fake love for an hour or so' are some of the choicest gems from this song. He also referenced his Japan trip in the middle of recording in the song. This man gets a lot of cool points.
'Perfectly Lonely' features a slide double stop riff that one wouldn't associate with Mayer, but then we should know by now that he has far too many layers to typecast. This song goes back to this sentiment of never being tied down, and how he's better off being perfectly lonely. In his singing, I got to say that the way he hits his falsettos are so natural, that really stands out to me, because I wouldn't say his singing is his strongest suit. The music is such that it's almost he's celebrating his solitude, 'Cuz I don't belong to anyone, and nobody belongs to me'. Also, a guitar solo rears his head in this song, and of course it's choc-a-bloc with effects. I don't think he likes to keep the solos clean in his pop offerings somehow.
'Assassin' has a cool music video if only I could get a decent quality version on youtube. The song is actually very complex with a lot of shades in the musicianship. The start of the song with the xylophonish sounds and the relaxed approach with his voice really comes alive in the chorus with the gritty guitars and Steve Jordan's snare drum finding it's voice. Lyrically, the song is a metaphor, with John comparing his one-night standing nature to a hired killer. He does a pretty solid job of setting the metaphor, especially the line before the chorus stands out for it's IQ. 'Should have turned around and left before the sun came up, but the sun came up again'. In the song, he, who is a serial womanizer, has met his match, and he didn't know the girl he was bedding was a serial 'manizer' (??? That's not a word, but you get it, hey how come there is no word for that?). He pays the price.
'Crossroads' is of course a blues classic, born out of legend, and Robert Johnson's Faustian Pact. Trust Mayer to put his own spin on the riff with an absolutely bizarre effect on the guitar. I don't know how to feel about that, which immediately puts it in the not-cool category. Very weird arrangement of the vocal harmonies, and again I'm at a loss to understand what happens. What I do know is that Steve Jordan and John locked in superb on the bass and drum groove. That's right, John plays the bass line on this. How does that make us feel? Very depressed of course, John, dude, let some other people do some stuff too man.
'War Of My Life' starts off at an urgent pace, almost like someone walking quickly. Some ambiguity in the early verses as to why he is in the war of his life, but he starts off by challenging the circumstances to bring all they can for he's ready. The ambiguity isn't really settled by the end of the song, and we don't know what has brought about the war. Nevertheless, the riff is a relatively simple one with quite a few layers running through the stereo field. The guitar solo is again filled with effects, must help that he has cupboards full of pedals. All the tricks needed to fill space are used like the soft chorus, the buildup, the 2 line bridge to a guitar solo. Wish he were more specific with the song.
'Edge of Desire's' guitar riff is strangely reminiscent of 'The Police', which again rakes in the cool points. The lyrics are rough though, it's a reflective song, where John laments his failures in love. He showcases his trademark insecurity and vulnerability which had been missing in the words so far but which was choc-a-bloc in his previous albums. Steve Jordan's playing style is like a fingerprint, completely unique in sound and execution. There is quite a bit of cool music in here, including a Coldplay style buildup before the final chorus which is sung with a lot more anger and tension.
'Do You Know Me' starts up with a melodic guitar riff, but not as involved as some of his riffs from his first 3 albums, he's learnt to calm down it'd seem. The song is about a sense of deja vu, or atleast that's what I could make from it. He seems to be speaking to a vision in his dream, and asking whether the vision knows him because he can't seem to place her. Btw, classical guitar at the forefront in this song, which is a departure from his usual fare.
'Friends, Lovers Or Nothing' finishes out the song, and it is very much in the Elton John territory. I started having visions of Robert Downey Jr walking around in the video of 'I Want Love' because of those bursts in the piano, and that drum beat. Ok, this sounds like a tale of old lovers who are trying to find some love in each other when it fails elsewhere, or is it some kind of friends with benefits gimmick? A lot of music in the song, lot of interludes and the piano adds a lot of depth to the entire range. The lyrics are tight in execution but doesn't it leave you wanting some resolution? I don't know, I felt that way.
All in all, a very enjoyable album, and for those who were teenyboppers when Wonderland came out, they might just be old enough to get into the maturity here, and for those who are teenyboppers who are listening to this as the first offering from Mayer, I might actually say go through the entire journey from 'Room For Squares' because this is a sincerely good album which'll demand your attention. I hope you have as much pleasure listening to the album as I did. Enjoy.
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