John Mayer
Room for Squares

“ "Welcome to the real world", she said to me/Condescendingly/Take a seat/Take your life/Plot it out in black and white ”

This is how the first LP of John Mayer opens, a clean-faced boy from Connecticut who quickly became a world-renowned guitarist, earning himself a series of signature Stratocasters, just like many of his ideal masters.

The album is shamelessly romantic, setting aside any cerebral aspects that this adjective sometimes implies, shamelessly banal if you will, with the classic American attitude of tackling certain topics without feeling the need to hide behind thick veils of (fake) hardness and disillusionment.

After his excellent debut EP “Inside Wants Out”, almost entirely acoustic, John Mayer finally has a real production at his disposal, with well-mixed drums and overlaid tracks. Thus, first and foremost, he decides to revisit some of his old songs, trying to make the most of the new opportunities. Leading the charge is “No Such Thing”, a track with an unmistakable rhythm where he seems to be in the grip of a romantic outburst, feeling the need to break through his school's double doors to show what all this time was worth, unable to wait for the 10-year reunion (from graduation).

Then it's the turn of “Georgia Why” and “My Stupid Mouth” (also present on “Inside Wants Out”), where his skills in constructing rhythmic patterns with an acoustic guitar become evident; his deeply baritone voice is delightful and launches into perfectly pitched falsettos. With “Your Body Is A Wonderland”, Mayer creates a hit that skillfully mixes sweetness and mischief, a song to sing to your beloved without too many inhibitions: “A song about the way your hair falls in your face/I love the shape you take when crawling, towards the pillowcase/I'll never let your head hit the bed/Without my hand behind it”.

Right after, as if to wake you from a stupor, the funky rhythm of “Neon” invades the lower frequencies of your stereo system, a guitaristically explosive song that perhaps in this studio version feels slightly compressed compared to the hallucinatory (!) acoustic version present on the previous EP. Now that the fingers are warmed up, it's the turn of “City Love”, a track in line with what is the recognized Mayer-style, pop songs with engaging melodies, where the unmistakable strat-sound breaks through the mid frequencies in a jungle of Hammond organs and violins, all accompanied by a wise and unobtrusive rhythmic section. “83” is, in my opinion, the most successful and fascinating experiment of the entire album, a warm jazzy atmosphere accompanies John's velvety voice, composed but rich in nuances, seemingly molded on the warm notes of the Fender brand.

In “3x5”, John Mayer continues to delight us with his rounded, smooth timbre, the song is a slow ride through the landscapes he happens to visit. The album regains intensity with “Love Song For No One”, our young artist seems saddened by not being able to dedicate his artistic creations to a beautiful maiden with a pure and delicate soul ready to welcome them: the classic “charmer” song that will bring him great fortune among the young female audience. The solo in “Back To You”, in its embarrassing simplicity, is a pop guitar lesson from the 2000s, a short concise expressive phrase stop; naturally supported by perfect sound and touch.

With “Great Indoors” we enter the most intimate phase of the album, a song with a bittersweet flavor, where the syrupy sound of the keyboards contrasts with the nostalgic tone of the vocal line, just like in “Not Myself”. “St. Patrick's Day” closes the album when the concept becomes clear, even somewhat repetitive, melodies bordering on cloying and sugary, but the contribution of a crystal-clear talent, both from a guitar and vocal perspective, ensures that an ear not inclined to snobbish, presumptuous attitudes, or simply not allergic to simple American pop romanticism, can appreciate John Mayer's work, a young, handsome, banal, but perfect, American songwriter.