This is a song by song review of John Mayer’s latest CD Battle Studies,as well as a review of the live Battle Studies kick-off concert which took place on Monday, November 16, 2009 at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, New York. During the electrifying concert Mayer performed some of his Battle Studies songs,including “Heartbreak Warfare”, “Crossroads”, “Perfectly Lonely” , “Edge of Desire”, “War of My Life” and “Friends,Lovers or Nothing” . I’ll begin by reviewing some of my favorite songs on the record and John’s performance of them at the Williamsburg concert.
Half of My Heart
This is an extended live version,over ten(10)minutes, of the melodic,mellow and rhythmic single from Mayer’s latest release, Battle Studies. There is an interlude where John engages in heart warming banter with his audience on the subject of relationships and the thought-provoking appeal of “Let a Man Be Lost”.
On the Battle Studies CD version, country sensation Taylor Swift accompanies Mayer on vocals for a smooth and silky combination of the two distinct vocal styles. On this live version,John’s back-up singers Melanie Taylor and Julie Delgado offer some stunning and soulful accompaniments to Mayer’s smoky,smooth and soulful vocals. Mayer’s guitar licks give a nice country-jazzy-bluesy sound which is extremely pleasing to the ears and appealing to the heart.
Mayer plays a very mellow acoustic version of the song by himself. He performed the acoustic version on Spectrum Radio broadcast on in which he performed an acoustic set of other songs from Battle Studies. Half of My Heart is well written.
From a personal standpoint I really relate to the song because in its simplicity it packs a powerful punch, stirring thoughts and emotions of times I have been torn between something and stuck right in the middle in inertia mode. With the beautiful and laid back melody I feel comfortable reflecting about the situation, embracing the inner conflict and indecision figuring out ways to work it out.
The song expresses in a light-hearted way the profound struggle people go through in making decisions about life, love and relationships. Most of us experience times when we get stuck in between and in the middle.
I was at the live concert in Williamsburg. During the performance,his back up singers were energetic and their vocals added a soulful dimension to the song. The arrangement was great. With John leading in the call and response during the segue in to “Let a Man Be Lost” telling them to do what they had to do. They did and the result was wonderful.
Half of My Heart is well written. It says a lot in a short time and in a very simple way. You can really relate to the song because in its simplicity it packs a powerful punch, stirring thoughts and emotions of times in which you may have been torn between someone or something and stuck right in the middle in inertia mode. With the beautiful and laid back melody you can feel comfortable reflecting about the situation, embracing the inner conflict and indecision figuring out ways to work it out. The song expresses in a light-hearted way the profound struggle people go through in making decisions about life, love and relationships. Most of us experience times when we get stuck in between and in the middle.
I was at the live concert in Williamsburg. During the performance,his back up singers were energetic and their vocals added a soulful dimension to the song. The arrangement was great. With John leading in the call and response during the segue in to “Let a Man Be Lost” telling them to do what they had to do. They did and the result was wonderful.
You’ll love this one.
Perfectly Lonely
“Perfectly Lonely” was also one of the Battle Studies tunes performed live at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, November 16,2009. The melody is reminiscent of old school soul with some pop,rock and blues flavoring. It’s a mellow,smooth and soothing sound with a skillful Mayer electric guitar solo mid song demonstrating his mastery of music genre blending. This one has elements of blues,soul,pop and rock. He makes it seem all so easy. Take a listen to the soulful back up vocals of Melanie Taylor and Julie Delgado as they highlight the deep soul and r&b stylings of this song while also complimenting Mayer’s soulful,smoky and smooth lead vocals.
The lyrics will grab your attention as much as the music. Here’s a sample:
Had a little love, but I spread it thin
Falling in her arms and out again
Made a bad name for my game around town
Tore up my heart, and shut it down
Nothing to do Nowhere to be
A simple little kind of free
Nothing to do No one but me
And that’s all I needAfter Perfectly Lonely Mayer segued into banter about a fan’s sign which had been prepared especially for the “Battle Studies” CD theme. As Mayer fans know,John is pretty responsive to the audience. If you are waiving or holding up an interesting sign there’s a pretty good chance John will notice it and strike up a conversation. He’s pretty cool that way. The “Warriors” sign banter was one of the interactive highlights of the live show. It was a nice touch.
Crossroads
Crossroads is John Mayer’s upbeat,fully charged and electrifying pop-funk-blues-rock blend of Robert Johnson’s seminal blues classic. He imprints his unique signature guitar and sultry vocals transforming it into a dynamic pop-funk-blue-rock rendition all his own. This will get the dance juices flowing and make you want to get up and rock,stomp and sway to the beat of some outstanding Steve Jordan drum beats as well.
John Mayer will be performing in Eric Clapton’s upcoming Third Annual “Crossroads” Guitar Festival benefit taking place on June 26,2010 in Toyota Park in Chicago,Illinois. You can get your tickets now at ticket outlets. Proceeds of the concert benefit the chemical dependency treatment center Crossroads Antigua.
Friends, Lovers or Nothing
“Friends,Lovers or Nothing” is on the CD and was performed during the live concert with an added bonus– the comedy interlude/banter “Brooklyn Sermon” in which John takes on the speaking style of a preacher. He comically delivers the word to the audience “as the ladies and gentlemen of the congregation”, talking about his reputation as a womanizer, how he overcame his tabloid and paparazzi challenges in the media as a celebrity and vows “I will not let them get me y’all. Its an amusing and humorous satire. There is some ‘raw’ language. He closes out the concert with “Friends,Lovers or Nothing”,a great close out song on the level of “In Repair”,the Continuum song which he closed out his shows with a lot during that tour.
More to come. Stay tuned…
