John Mayer - Born and Raised Album Review

Okay, so I have been listening to J.M's album now for about  a week on repeat... I have played through a couple of songs that I really like, and at this stage I'm not sure which song to cover! 

At first 'Something like Olivia' was the song I really fell in love with, the beat is awesome, and the lyrics are so very John. In terms of the 'country' feel to his new music, I can understand the many objections to it, as I don't really think it's him either. Most likely the pressures of the commercial record industry and their expectations has led him to try different things and adopt different 'vibes' for his music over time. But underneath the random layers of harmonica and organ synth, the songs have a soul that is uniquely and genuinely his, and that's what still makes his music beautiful. Songs like 'Face to Call Home' resonated with me so much, likewise 'Born and Raised' was very profound, reminded me very much of 'Don't Stop this Train' and 'The Heart of Life'. 

His song, 'The Age of Worry' also has echoes of his song 'Belief' from Continuum, it has a lovely lull, and this album he has really refined his craft. Lyrics are succinct, and cohesive, all sections of the song have a lot of thought and unlike his first two albums, every song has a unique vibe with a strong sense of clarity. Each song is different from the next, and like a great smorgasbord of thoughts and feelings he captures many elements within this album. It really is like a life narrative and it deserves a number of listens to appreciate all his songs.

I am still working on 'Whiskey, Whiskey, Whiskey' 'Speak for Me' and 'Shadow Days' as I feel they are a little diluted in terms of 'Soul' but I think it is just lost in translation. I don't approve of the production (although the vocals are superb in this album) but you can still hear John shine through, and who knows- the country theme might grow on me! ^_^

COMPETITION! Okay so I was thinking of doing a competition but then I realized most of you live overseas :\ 

So, I will have a think about this and get back to you when I have an idea!

Hope you all are liking the new songs/covers/vlog/ideas!

Definitely gonna do a cover of one of this soon. Listen. To. John. Mayer's. Album.

K.A.M

xox