John Mayer
New Light

This single from the American singer and excellent guitarist John Mayer, released last May 10th, immediately struck me. Perhaps it's because of the production of the track, different from what John Mayer has always been known for, or maybe because of the somewhat "strange" official video, if you'll pardon the term. Strange because the singer humorously claims not to have received funding for this video through donations, and thus, with a limited budget, he had to settle for leaving the video production in the hands of an agency not particularly specialized in music videos... in fact, in the video, we see John Mayer dancing, joking, singing, and doing other things while various landscapes, possibly related to what the lyrics say at that moment, are shown in the background. A very funny video, but at the same time, it almost leaves you speechless. It seems strange that such a video can garner millions of views, but that's the case. Sometimes strange ideas are true pearls of novelty. Or maybe just a silly whim. It depends on whether it's a flop or not. But apparently, it isn't, at the moment.

Regarding the track, the production is by No I.D., a well-known name in hip-hop production circles. This gives an uncommon freshness to Mayer's pieces, a freshness that also makes it somewhat summery. The lyrics are not highlighted, simply because the theme is somewhat common, realizing that perhaps it's the guy who's wrong, not her, even though we'll never know for sure, which is why they both should see each other in a "New Light." Exactly, new light, "New Light," just like Francesco Renga's single. However, from the text, it appears that it is not inspired by that song, and even if the lyrics were similar, I doubt he listened to Renga's single before writing the piece...

I'll spend the last words to acknowledge Mayer's guitar prowess which, although not given much space in the song, is always a reliable asset.

4 stars for the great ideas and innovations, even though I doubt it can become the hit that everyone sings, but it's important to point out what's good, even if it's not particularly highlighted.