Like many of us here at RPI, I got home rather late last night, and had a good three hours of homework left. Needless to say, my stress level skyrocketed. Lucky for me, I had just gotten John Mayer’s new double CD, Any Given Thursday. I have been a fan of John Mayer for quite a while now, so I had been looking forward to hearing some new material from him. Unfortunately, I got it home and popped it into my CD player and got a little surprise. It was a live recording of one of his concerts in Birmingham, Alabama. I was pretty disappointed I was not going to hear any new songs. But I thought I would give it a chance, and after having paid for it, I was not going to let it go to waste.
As I listened, however, my initial disappointment was replaced with a newfound respect for John Mayer as a musician. By the end, Any Given Thursday had definitely redeemed itself. One of the best things about John Mayer’s music is its great ability to relax me. With that mix of blues, rock, and jazz that has become his hallmark, how can three hours of homework ahead of you make you stressed? At least it gave me the opportunity to listen to the whole two hour CD.
One of the things I have always liked about his music was feeling like you were listening to him in a small coffee shop on a corner. I suppose that comes from his years of doing that before he became famous. Something that was definitely missing from his studio CD was that distinctive personality, and improv–ization he throws into his live performances. Luckily, this CD carried that along with it. But even with that, there were some other surprises that kept me listening.
In addition to the standard songs from his hit CD Room for Squares, a few new songs were added to the lineup. From the soulful strains in the song “Something’s Missing,” to the mournful guitar solos in “Comfortable,” and even a great remake of the Police song, “Message in a Bottle,” there were some great musical surprises on these CDs.
Even with the new additions, the old standards got some revamping for his live performances. The first CD, for example, opens with an elongated version of the song “3x5.” Other songs like “83” and “Neon” were given some amazing guitar solos that could impress even the most seasoned guitar player. But one thing that definitely added to my enjoyment was cranking up the volume. Although not actually at the concert, volume definitely added to the illusion of being right there in the middle of everything. I am sure my neighbors would agree with that.
But in the end, I was pleased to have a new double CD to add to my collection. Just when I thought there was nothing else to find from John Mayer, he came out with Any Given Thursday and a few surprises up his sleeve—not to mention his recent winning of a Grammy award for Best Pop Male Vocal Performance.
