John Mayer
Heavier Things
On Sale Now
For $13.28

“I worry, I weigh three times my body. I worry, I throw my fear around. But this morning, there's a calm I can't explain. The rock here has melted, only diamonds now remain”. If you’ve gotten your hands on John Mayer’s second record, Heavier Things, you’d recognize that as the opening lyrics on the opening track, “Clarity”. I may be reaching here, but I thought this was an appropriate way to open this review. Indeed the rock has melted and only diamonds remain. John’s new album is . . . er . . . great!

I’m apprehensive to say so for a couple reasons; First of all, there’s always sophomore jitters. “Room For Squares” was so hyped, it became the Hollywood album to have. How do you follow that up? Also I found John’s first release to be a bit poppy. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. It’s just that a style like that tends to run its course quickly and I thought another 10 songs of the same stuff would fall flat. Finally, in listening to the live album, you could just tell John has a different style we haven’t seen before. A personality that’s little more mellow, bluesy and downright jam-rock at times. So what would Heavier Things reveal about John?

I must say I am impressed. Not only has John managed to create an album wonderfully different from his first, he’s done it seamlessly. To get philosophical on you for a moment, music is an expression of human thought and emotion. To simply regurgitate a musical formula for the sake of a profit is to trivialize this powerful expression. Would Da Vinci paint the Mona Lisa over and over because it’s one of his most well known paintings? Of course not. My point is, regardless of the subject matter, an artist should always be expressing what is true to them, not what money dictates. Whether or not you love Mayer’s new album, my hat goes off to him exploring new territory. I respect that more than anything else.

Okay, sorry about that. Let’s talk about the music. Track 2, “Bigger Than My Body” is an okay song. Not nearly the strongest on the album, but lyrically it stands up well. I think the ironic thing is having ranted the last paragraph, the words to this song merely support my contention. Take for instance; “Maybe I'll tangle in the power lines/And it might be over in a second's time/But I'll gladly go down in a flame/If the flame's what it takes to remember my name”. Mayer expresses a more intrinsic side to himself while keeping it lighthearted. “Bigger Than My Body” sounds like a happy song but to me it’s about how people allow themselves to be confined for no other reason than, perhaps, social acceptance. Hold on, I think I’m getting a headache. I’ve been watching too much MTV and when I have to use that thing three feet above my ass it hurts. I really sound bitter, don’t I?

Moving ahead, our next stop is at “New Deep”. I like this song. John croons “'Cause ever since I tried?/Trying not to find/Every little meaning in my life/It's been fine, I've been cool/With my new golden rule”. If only I could subliminally introduce that line of thought into my fiancé’s subconscious I’d be set. Why must women read into every little thing? Ooh ooh! I love the next song! “Come Back To Bed”. This is a sizzlin’ sexy song! If you make mix CD’s and you need one for your “love mix”, try this one out. This is bluesy and slow like hot sex in Louisiana. A little slide guitar, some horns and you have a masterpiece. The rest is up to you. Oh don’t neglect lines like this; “I survive on the breath/you are finished with”. How does he constantly come up with lines that make the ladies swoon? I need to go to a John Mayer seminar and learn some things.

Okay, a quick summary… I don’t really like track 6, “Homelife”. I just don’t so get off my back. I do like track 7. It’s good because it’s packed with great lines. I mean absolute works of art. For example, “So I'll check the weather wherever you are/Cause I wanna know if you can see the stars tonight/Might be my only right” or “Cause I can't wait to figure out what's wrong with me/So I can say this is the way that I used to be”. That’s just a little taste. I like song eight too. All John sings is poetry. To prove such I’ve listed some lyrics from this song, “Daughters”. What a gem of a song. I love it. “I know a girl/she puts the color inside of my world/she's just like a maze/where all of the walls all continually change”. Isn’t amazing to see how another person’s mind works. He thinks in a way completely obtuse from my own and I admire that. Good art will make you do that.

Okay, so I’ll wrap this bitter, bitter review up. Buy this album. If for no other reason than the last song. Mayer saved the best for last. My favorite song is easily track 10, “Wheel”. A nice, soft ballad that feels like it sounds. Like hanging around in a hammock by the beach. Just sittin’ and thinkin’. One more time, this is poetry. I want you all to see that. Here you go….

“People have the right to fly/And when it gets compromised/Their hearts say "Move along"/their minds say "Gotcha heart"/Let's move it along /Let's move it along
And airports /See it all the time/With someone's last goodbye/Blends in with someone's sigh/Cause someone's coming home/In hand a single rose
And that's the way this wheel keeps working now/That's the way this wheel keeps working now/And I won't be the last/No I won't be the last/To love her
And you can't build a house of leaves/And live like it's an evergreen/It's just a season thing/It's just this thing that seasons do
And that's the way this wheel keeps working now/That's the way this wheel keeps working now/And you won't be the first/No you won't be the first /To love me
You can find me, if you ever want to give/I'll be around the bend /I'll be around the bend/I'll be around, I'll be around/And if you never stop when you wave goodbye/You just might find if you give it time/You will wave hello again /You just might wave hello again
And that's the way this wheel keeps working now/That's the way this wheel keeps working now
You can't love too much, one part of it
I believe that my life's gonna see/The love I give/Return to me
I believe that my life's gonna see/The love I give/Return to me
I believe that my life's gonna see/The love I give/Return to me”

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