John Mayer’s new album, Room for Squares, was released last summer. The release marks the first major label release for Mayer. Mayer, a former student at the Berklee College of Music, released his first solo album, Inside Wants Out, in 1999 while simultaneously playing the Atlanta club scene. Mayer preformed in the March 2000 South by Southwest Music Festival and was given a recording contract with Aware Records, a subsidiary of Columbia. That fall he began recording Room for Squares with producer John Alagia. Alagia is known for his work with Dave Matthews and the Ben Folds Five. Unlike Mayer’s first album, which was largely acoustic, Room for Squares features a full band. In the summer of 2001 Mayer began a cross-country tour to support his new album.
John Mayer grew up in Connecticut. At the age of 13 he was given a Stevie Ray Vaughan tape, and the focus of his life quickly turned to music. Within two years, Mayer had learned to play guitar and was a favorite at local bars and blues clubs. Though acclaimed for his guitar playing skills, Mayer was not satisfied with his newfound music career—he began to focus more on his songwriting skills. At the age of 19 he enrolled at the Berklee School of Music but soon left, realizing that he would rather play music than study it.
Louis Armstrong once said the were two kinds of music: “good music and bad music.” Mayer’s music definitely fits into the latter category. He seems to think of himself as a great singer and songwriter, skillfully combining jazz and blues. Mayer also seems to think he belongs on the same level as artists like Bob Dylan, when in reality he ought to be sitting at their feet, listening.
Essentially, Mayer is nothing more than a Dave Matthews wanna-be. The album has good guitar playing but poor lyrics. His songs are filled with hollow sentiment that he wants us to believe is genuine. His song “Why Georgia,” is his feeble attempt to portray himself as a struggling artist trying to reconcile his inner struggle in something out of a Cliff’s Notes version of a James Joyce novel. Another bland attempt on the CD is “City Love.” The premise of the song is that Mayer is wandering around Manhattan looking for a girlfriend. Yet another mundane song is “My Stupid Mouth,” a song about what Mayer said at a dinner party. Mayer whines his way through the entire album, the pinnacle being “83” in which he complains about his old lunch box and how much he misses being a kid.
Overall if you like this type of music—except with more substance and less annoying whining—buy a Dave Matthews album. If you decide to see Mayer in concert, because Dave Matthews was either sold out or too expensive, just make sure the opening act is good.
