John Mayer
Battle Studies

It was a day like any other during last summer's scorching heat. Not knowing where to turn, I somehow ended up on the "Virgin Radio" site and found myself listening to "Waiting On The World To Change." Who is this guy? Not bad, it's not often you hear a song like this... he's a guy named John Mayer, a great guitarist turned singer. So I set things in motion and threw myself headlong into his latest album, even though the song that struck me comes from "Continuum," dated 2006, and here I am, a few days later, grabbing "Battle Studies," released in November 2009.

Folks, let's be clear, for "Black Sabbath" enthusiasts (just to name a few) it will be stomach-churning, but here we are for better or worse beyond rock, for one person it's a step forward, for another a step back. It's clear that Mayer knows what he's doing, and that we are in the presence of an artist, not a corporation. So stay calm and steady.

We begin with the sparkling yet composed "Heartbreak Warfare," continue with "All We Ever Do Is Say Goodbye," and reach one of the most pleasant pieces: "Half Of My Heart," sung with Taylor Swift, a sweet little love song, and it's the track that best embodies the philosophy Mayer adopted in his work, where he skillfully mixes his ingredients: country, folk, rock, and pop. It's undeniable that he's an excellent chef, yet he can be criticized for his choice of measurements: this music is sweet, but it manages to leave a bitter aftertaste. Why? Because Mayer perhaps ran out of rock and, instead of going to buy more, added pop, but this wasn't laziness, it was a choice.

The two best songs are without a doubt "Assassin" and "Crossroads." In the former, good old John finally puts aside country and folk to focus on rock and pop; while in the latter, it's enough for him not to distort an old masterpiece by the magnificent "Cream," where Clapton's guitar reigned, so that Mayer reminds himself and us that he's an excellent rocker. The remaining tracks, "neither famous nor infamous," can be more country-folk or more rock-pop, but they achieve the same results: they disappoint. A lot.

In short, John knows what he's doing, but he made the wrong choice at the grocery store. Either he reads the labels more carefully or changes the supermarket. For the sake of Music.