#8 – Continuum – John Mayer
John Mayer usually goes over about as well as Milli Vanilli on this blog, but that won’t keep me from putting him out there.
Mayer’s third album, 2006’s Continuum, is particularly praiseworthy, and a record I have returned to again and again in the seven years since its release.
At the time I ranked Continuum as the second best album of the year, and on this revisited list it comes in third for 2006.
Mayer gets kicked around a lot, not just on this blog but on the Web in general, so it’s easy to forget that he’s actually rather acclaimed. The average score for all of his albums on AllMusic is four stars (out of five) and his lifetime average on Metacritic is well into the positive range.
He’s won seven Grammys and been nominated for a dozen more. And most important, he is consistently listed among the great guitar players around today, and invited to play live with the likes of Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton and B.B. King. Jeff Beck even called Mayer the next Clapton.
Now let the hating begin! 🙂
Lying there in that position
There’s things you need to hear
So turn off your tears and listen
Pain throws your heart to the ground
Love turns the whole thing around
No, it won’t all go the way it should
But I know the heart of life is good
You know it’s nothing new
Bad news never had good timing
Then the circle of your friends
Will defend the silver lining
Pain throws your heart to the ground
Love turns the whole thing around
No, it won’t all go the way it should
But I know the heart of life is good
Pain throws your heart to the ground
Love turns the whole thing around
Fear is a friend who’s misunderstood
But I know the heart of life is good
I know it’s good
Meet Me In Montauk 
Well, I’ve probably said all I have to say about Mayer.😄
But ….as to your defensive entry today, I will simply respond that there are probably numerous artists whom you don’t like, and might even vehemently dislike, who nevertheless rank highly on allmusic.
And, second, being a good or great guitarist (or musician) doesn’t mean you are a great songwriter. Just ask Jeff Beck and indeed most of the great guitarist you listed who invite Mayer on stage.
I take no issue with Mayer’s guitar playing. I just don’t care for his songs, and today’s selection is a perfect example of a pleasant enough vanilla song, musically and lyrically, that I would feel no need to ever hear again.
Hating complete. 😃
And I have no opinion whatsoever on his songs (other than that I just find all of them sort of “meh”); it’s the man himself who earns my hating.
While your Milli Vanilli line is humorous, it’s not a fair analogy. I don’t think anyone has doubted Mayer’s talent or his authenticity. It’s just that he’s a bit of an asshat, don’t you think?
With so many great musicians out there who are also interesting or funny or likable people (think of any number of the rotating chairs on The Voice or other such shows – Usher, CeeLo, Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Keith Urban, Ben Folds, to name just the few in that limited category), it’s hard for me to ever want to listen to music I find agreeable but not much else performed by a musician I find anything but. Just makes me want to change the dial whenever I hear his voice.
Hating complete.
I agree, he’s an ass. But I don’t let that get in the way of the music. To look at it from the other side… as swell a guy as Blake Shelton seems to be, I don’t want to listen to his music.
Dan Marino is by all accounts a dick but I cheered for the man wholeheartedly for nearly two decades.
It certainly makes it easier and more pleasant to enjoy the work, in any field, of a good person, but ultimately you have to enjoy the work.
Well, in defense of our support for Marino, I’m not sure he was known to us as an “ass” when we rooted for him.
And, yes, I suppose I would still listen to great music even if the guy putting it out there was an ass, but I don’t see Mayer’s work as great music, so, to Amy’s point, why compromise your feelings and support for the artist when there are so many other artists to listen to. By analogy, Chick-Fil-A makes an AMAZING fried chicken, but I don’t see you going there because the CEO is a conservative zealot. You instead go to other places where the food is still good and you can eat it without feeling morally compromised.:)
Interesting analogy. If Mayer was an unapologetic homophobe, that would likely have an affect on my fandom. But his faults lie more in the “bad boyfriend” realm, so I really don’t care that much.
Obviously Mayer is a bad test case for you because you don’t like his music to begin with. Would your appreciation of Elvis Costello have waned if you’d been a big fan during the Ray Charles incident?
Well, first of all, I wouldn’t say I don’t like Mayer’s music. Like Amy, I find most his work listenable, but not particularly inspired. He has a song or two I like and a few songs I don’t care for, but otherwise I am largely indifferent.
To your question, in many cases I listen to an artist (or begin listening to an artist) without any sense, good or bad, as to the off-state persona. That was certainly the case with Costello and, in fact, when I was first asked to check out Imperial Bedroom, King of America and a greatest hits and B side compilation, I had to overcome my perception that Elvis was just a punk/new wave act, as I didn’t like that genre. I don’t think, however, that the Ray Charles comments would have derailed me from liking Costello, particularly because I don’t really believe Costello is a racist and he certainly has been influenced by black musicians.
Another good one to consider is Woody Allen. There are many people who won’t see his films because he married his step daughter. While his conduct years ago definitely deserves the “ick” factor, I won’t hesitate in seeing a well-reviewed Allen film. Also, as much as I was bothered by Allen’s actions at the time, I at least give him some leeway for sustaining that relationship. Clearly, there was more there than just inappropriate lust for an under-aged step daughter:)
But, as you may or may not agree, John Mayer ain’t no Elvis Costello nor is he the music equivalent to Woody Allen. I’d say Mayer is more like Roman Polanski–and I have NO problem taking the moral high ground in avoiding his films:)
I’m sure a lot of people would suggest it’s blasphemy to put John Mayer on Roman Polanski’s level. Polanski and Woody Allen are probably on the same level in terms of overall critical success.
I haven’t seen any recent Polanski films, mostly because they haven’t captured my interest. But I would never consider not watching and loving Chinatown because its director is a rapist.
Similarly, Woody Allen’s off-screen actions, while creepy, never colored my opinion of his films.
On the other hand, I have no desire to listen to any of Chris Brown’s music (not that I did before he bludgeoned Rihanna, to be fair). I think maybe the more personal connection of the musician’s voice and words coming over your speaker makes a difference.
Yes, Clay, I do think the fact that it’s the very artist/racist/abusive boyfriend/asshat’s voice that is coming through your speakers and into your ears makes a huge difference. You can have a distance between your feelings about the personality or actions of an artist who provides that distance (perhaps less so in a Woody Allen film starring Woody Allen); I don’t think about Polanski when I watch Chinatown, for instance.
As to your earlier question, of course I don’t see out music I wouldn’t necessarily like just because I like an artist (Blake Shelton). However, it absolutely makes my experience when listening to that artist’s music (in performance on a live show, or if it pops up on a radio station and there isn’t a song I like better elsewhere on the dial) a far more pleasant one.
Going back to the age when I had one or two more brain cells, I liked and agreed with the style of criticism called formalism. That is that the work is judged quite apart from the artist creating it. I enjoy all the artists mentioned above quite apart from their personal sagas. I like John Mayer quite a bit.
The homophobic chick-fil-a guy is in a business which like certain german companies with Nazi roots, I don’t want to support. I draw a distinction there.