Album Review: John Mayer - Continuum!

Hi,
    My name is Surjo and I'm a pro-musician, and the songs you're hearing (hopefully), are from my debut album which you can buy here

   I'll be reviewing John Mayer's 'Continuum' in this article. It's his 3rd studio album and what he considers as his most successful album. The song was released on Sept 12, 2006 on Columbia Records. The album is considerably mellower and does not contain the hooked-to-a-chocolate-drip-enthusiasm-for-you that characterised 'Room For Squares' and 'Heavier Things'. The pace is less frantic and the delivery is less rushed. It's almost like he takes his time to talk now, and he's more sure of his thoughts this time around, more sure that we'll like him for the things he's saying. He might have made room for squares but he's well-rounded now. Possibly his most musically layered album with a vast array of studio musicians piling on layers of magic onto the canvas.

The album starts with a Steve Jordan signature groove, and well who can complain with that, and before you know it, John counts us in to a really cute little melody to start off 'Waiting On The World To Change'. The words are quite strong actually, and mirror the sentiment that almost everyone goes through of feeling powerless against all that happens in the world today. There's a unique almost rap like breakdown which transitions into a nice guitar solo. He really likes using his pedals on his guitar sounds. How many pop songs do you  hear with a real ride cymbal chiming on in the background? This was the first single from the album and had more than a million downloads, that's pretty cool. 

'I Don't Trust Myself' starts off with a really bizarre guitar riff, with John searching through his pedal stash to come up with a keyboard sound out of a guitar. The lyrics are really interesting, in that they talk about John's doubts about himself in love and also his doubts about those who profess to love him. Is it a circular thing, as in does on lead to the other? Very interesting perspective obviously, from a good-looking talented well-known millionaire who isn't sure whether a girl could love him or the thought of him. PS. Is there a better drummer than Steve Jordan in the world?

'Belief' comes in next with one of the coolest guitar and drum lines that you're going to hear in a long, long time. I'm not entirely sure what the words are about, because they seem to be moving in quite a few directions. The overall theme seems to be about the belief system that everyone has, and there are some really cool lyrical chops like in the second verse where John lays out a beautiful metaphor. 'Belief is a beautiful armour, but makes for the heaviest sword'. The bridge is astounding and brings Pino Palladino to the forefront with a bass line for the ages. Another cool guitar solo, another cool guitar effect, John keeps that quest ongoing. Very melodic song. He couldn't have written this in the first 2 albums. 

'Gravity', according to John, is the single most important song he's written. It's been nearly 9 years since Continuum released, so we don't know if that's changed but it's really important to feel so strongly about something. The song starts off with no frills, no guitar effects, just a pure melodic line, and sets the tone from thereon. The words sound extremely personal, and I think it'd be hard to step into John's shoes to fathom just how much the words mean to him. But I think all of us can feel burdened by the circumstances and directions of our life. The song finishes just with the choir and the drums and some guitar chords, pretty cool. 

'The Heart Of Life' starts with a guitar melody that might have found it's way to his first two albums, but it's not polished and shimmering like it would have been there. Starts off  with a request from John to listen to him while you're going through a rough time, and the rest of the song is basically a message of 'keep your chin up, everything happens for the best' sort of message. The song is minimalistic in it's arrangement with some keys and the bass coming in only at the end and drums sitting out entirely. Almost a palate cleanser in a way, but a good song. 

'Vultures' features another great riff and that's ear-candy from the get-go. The lyrics might be a dig at the press which had found it's groove in constantly intruding on his life by that time. John talks about his determination to not be a footnote in a matter of time and that he's going to take on whatever comes in his way, including the 'vultures' to keep his position intact. More than anything else though, it is a lovely bit of music which is supremely easy on the ear. As in even more than his usual fare which is very easy on the ear as it is. Steve and Pino shine once again, and of course this is one of the songs that is brought forward from the 'Try' live album. A very dynamic vocal too, he really expands his style in this one. 

'Stop This Train' has a beautiful acoustic guitar riff and some really restrained music to set up the words. The lyrics are dealing with mortality and the temporary nature of life, and how it's really scary to think about it when you realize that soon there'll be no one left who was a part of the happiest days of your life and you'll have to be the one guiding others to happiness. Good stuff, better to hear than to analyze. 

'Slow Dancing In A Burning Room' has another startlingly beautiful guitar melody to start things off. What about that spring reverb on the first two measures? A guitarist's ears would just prick up at the sound. The lyrics speak of the realization of the end of one's love in the midst of a dance. When the chorus kicks in, it's almost a different atmosphere with the guitars and choir like vocals. The words get a little edgier in the later verses and in the bridge with John retorting to her behaviour with impatience. The vocals are very dynamic and the production is spot on. 

'Bold As Love' is of course a Jimi Hendrix song and is part of his 1967 'Axis Bold As Love' abum. He maintains quite a bit of faithfulness to the original track, with the only differences being that his rhythm is way more controlled and studied than Hendrix's wild playing. His voice is also a lot clearer than Hendrix. The lyrics are just wild, the person who wrote it must have been tripping. I mean he's talking about seeing colours, cmon, if that isn't LSD then what is? Trust Jimi to recollect LSD onto music. A good cover, though lacking the LSD of the original. 

 

'Dreaming With A Broken Heart' is a wonderful bit of writing. The only piano heavy song in the album, and evokes some Elton John the way the arpeggios are structured, what with the bit of distortion in the piano and what not sounds like 'I Want Love' in a way. It is also brilliant, since there are precious few words in the album, but that never tends to seem boring at all, in fact it makes it that much easier to understand and sing along, a true bit of songwriting wizardry. The lyrics have John suffering from the heartbreak of separation from his love. 

'In Repair' has John going back to his pedal rack for the POG to make his guitar sound like a keyboard. Charlie Hunter comes in on this track to play some 8 string guitar, and if you take a look at that thing, it's just cool. The lyrical theme of the song is about pulling oneself back together after being broken, while as life is, tends to happen often with certain people. There is a certain poignancy in the way he presents his thoughts and words, and I've always felt that he has the ability to say what you wanted to say, only he can say it better. The final sections of the song have so much resolve it's difficult to not feel that uplifting feeling as the guitar solo kicks in. 

'I'm Gonna Find Another You' closes out the album. The lyrics are fantastic, and the music sounds like an old 60s gospel band, what with the horns and relaxed drum and guitar approach. The words have John writing with both love and malice all in one. Not only does he not like his girl leaving, but he's already making plans for how to get past the situation and is resolving the problem in his mind. I think a lot of guys tend to do this as a defensive mechanism, so John, stop giving our secrets out man. 

The album is very easy to listen to and the dozen songs pass by in no time and it's definitely an album meant to loop so that we can live our lives in the background. Very good, to be used as background score for all important heartbreak occasions. That's said only half in jest. Enjoy.