sammi says

It was hard for me to write a review of John Mayer's latest release "Battle Studies." I kept putting it off because the fan girl in me wants to sum it up and say "BEST ALBUM EVERRRRR!!!!1!" But writing one sentence about my unconditional love for JM does neither of us any good.

So I'm going to try to put my thoughts into words having let "Battle Studies" sink in for the last two weeks. If you recall, I was a little shocked at the tone of the first single "Who Says," and even though I knew John was going to go a completely new direction for this album, I didn't really anticipate how different.

His previous album "Continuum" hits you with electric-guitar-heavy, epic, ascending tracks ("Belief," "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room," "In Repair") and that's just not the case with "Battle Studies." It's more subdued but I think it delivers more lyrically than any of his past albums.

"Battle Studies" plays out as a modern relationship survival guide. The first song "Heartbreak Warfare," is about being on he verge of breaking up, with lyrics like "red wine and ambien, you're talking shit again." Another track "Assassin" delves into the world of one night stands. "Friends, Lovers or Nothing," is an anthem for all those friends with benefits who are looking for something more.

My favorite song of the moment is "Half of My Heart," featuring Taylor Swift. It's an acoustic, pop song that feels familiar. I say song of the moment because after my first listen my favorite was "Heartbreak Warfare," and I can already feel my next favorite coming on, "Edge of Desire." It's inching to number one because a few days ago, as a thank you for making "Battle Studies" the number one album, John recorded an acoustic, live, solo, uncut version of "Edge of Desire," in his apartment at 3 in the morning. I think it's beautiful and vulnerable and makes me appreciate the album version 10 times more. Here's the link to download.

It took a few listens of "Battle Studies" for me to feel comfortable with the songs but now I can't stop listening. It's the perfect soundtrack for dreary winter days. "Battle Studies" makes John Mayer's musical evolution clearly evident. Buy it on iTunes here.



(I love the way JM did the track listing for "Battle Studies." He made it look like an actual manual with chapters like Evasion, Navigation, Identifying the Enemy etc...Click the photo above to enlarge it.)