Try! John Mayer Trio Live in Concert
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Free Music Notes for Try! John Mayer Trio Live in Concert
Free Music Review: What a concert album should be--a milestone for Mayer
Hit: 5 Stars
. . .I am probably the newest passenger on the John Mayer Love Train here. The first song I ever heard was "Vultures" at 4:00pm the day I saw him in concert that night with Sheryl Crow in Indianapolis, three days before "Continuum" hit the market. I got to hear him sing it live that night. While waiting for Continuum to come out, I ordered "Try" solely to have "Vultures," "I Got a Woman," and "Good Love is on the Way" (I hope he'll release a studio version of this awesome rocker!) to tide me over, so to speak. But what made me a true believer once I got this thing in my hands was hearing "Out of My Mind." Close your eyes and you'll swear that Ray Charles is singing and Stevie Ray Vaughn is playing the guitar. But no--apparently this is John's composition, played and sung by John with--dare it I say it?--SOUL. And it's not even the peak of the concert. There's lots more to come. The encore section is 20 minutes long, including a raw rocking version of "Something's Missing." Yes, I have to ignore the sexist lyrics of "I Got A Woman" and just listen to that blues guitar wail, but after all, he didn't write that one. Mr. Charles did. There's a lot of variety here--a fun, funky cover of Hendrix' "Wait Until Tomorrow", "Daughters" (for those of us who can't get enough of "classic John"). The "green" song that follows "Out of My Mind" reminds me of the Beatles circa 1969. "Vultures" rocks, of course--the only thing missing are the keyboard parts from the "Continuum" version. I love the way he ends this one--it fades out to him and this little funky rhythmic thing.
On a live album, you're either on your game or you're not. Nothing to hid behind. Nothing to prop you up. And it's just him and two awesome rhythm masters who, like BB King, Clapton, etc., are much too talented and busy to ever suffer fools. Not that they have to with John. He is ON here. The crowds he played to here were much smaller and quieter than the ones on "Any Given Tuesday." There are a few times he's a bit too closer to the microphone, and you'll hear an occasionally appreciative whoop from a fan. But frankly, this captures a lot of what he's really like in concert. No stupid mouth on this one--he banters with the crowd a little bit, but it's mostly playing and jamming and singing. For the heart and the energy that comes through here, I can put up with a little bit of crowd noise and appreciation.
If it's as well-produced as this CD, I'd love to see this on DVD with interviews and a documentary. "Continuum" will probably sell more units, but for those of us on the Love Train, this album is John's watershed album. If he goes in this direction in the future, this is the place he began to make grown up music. I hope his fans will be smart enough to make the journey with him from teen idol to blues master.
Free Music Review: Blues For The Masses
Hit: 5 Stars
I'm new to the blues genre, which is why I have to thank John Mayer for making it accessible on a commercial scale.
Though this may annoy or anger hard-core blues fans, I personally think it's a good thing.
I've listened to John since he first released Room For Squares. I've always enjoyed his work, but always felt he was being marketed as something he wasn't: i.e. a pinup boy for teenage girls with raging hormones and questionable taste in music.
With Continuum, I finally saw the REAL John Mayer in action -- though his previous performances at awards ceremonies ( my main source of JM 'live' appearances, considering where I live ) have been consistently spectacular. Maybe that's why I knew he was capable of much more, if only the recording company would let him shine.
I probably should've bought Try! before getting Continuum, but the former sold out last year, resulting in this reversed sequence. ( Thank goodness for Amazon. :))
In hindsight, it's a huge advantage, purely because Try! is far superior to Continuum, because it's (1) "live", (2) much more diverse in terms of material, and (3) has loads of phenomenal no-holds-barred jamming.
Every piece is a masterpiece, but personally speaking, 3 definitely stand out. Vultures, my top favourite from Continuum, is unbelievable "live", with John's raw, slightly raspy vocals conveying much more poignance than the no-doubt-tweaked-and-retweaked studio version.
Out Of My Mind, on the other hand, literally blew my mind ( pun intended :))! I first heard it in the car driving to work. Immediately turned up the volume and reckon I almost broke the windscreen ( haha ). John may not be hailed as a really good singer ( his skills on the guitar usually steal the limelight ), but his delivery on Out Of My Mind easily rivals the great Ray Charles -- the resemblance is spooky, man.
Best track by far, however, is I Got A Woman. Quite a crowd pleaser, considering its origins ( and a later sampling on Kanye West's Gold Digger ), but absolutely perfect here. Great vocals, cool-beyond-cool jamming, super hot and steamy.
Am predicting a looong life cycle in my stereo -- for the next few months at least.
Truly mind-blowing. I highly recommend this to anyone who'd like to know what great musical talent sounds like.
Free Music Review: Not a John Mayer fan, but this is a good album
Hit: 5 Stars
I have found that when you reach a certain level of fame and popularity, there will only be people who either love you or hate you.
I am not a John Mayer fan. Nor did I ever have the urge to even download his debut solo album to even get a sample of what his music is like. If anything at all, the only song I ever remember hearing was "Bigger Than My Body" on the radio, which I did enjoy.
But after seeing John Mayer Trio on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, I was extremely impressed by what I saw. Afterwards, I went and downloaded the album from iTunes and was definitely not disappointed. John Mayer is an extremely talented musician and songwriter. Currently one of the best singer-songwriters, the music industry has to offer in this age of punk (aka: loser rock) and hip-hop. I've listened to alot of musicians, and Mayer shows an astonishing amount of growth and maturity for an artist at his age.
For this brief review, I really wanted to distance myself from all the others by not critcizing other reviews (good or bad), and so I will say this: Pino Palladino is on the bass and Steve Jordan is on the drums. Palladino is practically a legend on the bass guitar. He's performed and co-produced with D'Angelo, Eryka Badu, Common, The Who, Paul Simon, Edie Brickel, Roy Hargrove...just to name a few. Jordan is a legend already with Grammy Awards tucked under his belt. This guy has credits that range from Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Mick Jagger, and Neil Young.
So if on that basis, if John Mayer is such a terrible musician, why would 2 renowned music industry legends bother to record and go on tour with him?
Overall this album is fantastic. It has a song for every mood.
"Good Love is On the Way" and "Wait Until Tomorrow" are great rock songs with strong blues and funk infusions that keep your head rockin' and your feet tappin'. "Gravity" is a great song soul song that will relax every muscle in your body. "Vultures" is by far my favourite, as it's a fantastic blend of soul and blues, that needs to be listened to, to truly experience it's brilliance.
Whether it's soul, blues, easy listening, chillin', or even just rockin' out at times, that you're looking for in an album, this live release by John Mayer Trio is definitely a must have. It is truly an album for all seasons.
Free Music Review: Not you little sister's John Mayer!
Hit: 5 Stars
I'll start by saying this; John Mayer gets music. He can write incredible pop songs as he has shown with his previous albums. He has appeared with legendary artists such as Herbie Hancock and Buddy Guy, just to name a few. Now with The John Mayer Trio he is really hitting his stride.
From the opening track "Who did you think I was?", you know that this album is not going to be the type of album that your little sister will like. Unless, that is, she happens to enjoy masterful blues-infused rock.
There are songs on the album the traditional John Mayer fans will enjoy. Gravity is a bluesy rock tune, but is similar enough to his previous efforts to make the pop fans happy. Of course there are a few of his older songs covered here as well; Daughters and Something's Missing, both originally off of "Heavier Things" are redone here with the Trio. Daughters is an interesting choice as I can think of a few other songs off of "Heavier Things" that would have been more likely selections. That said, it is still a solid song.
I have always enjoyed Mr. Mayer's music. I am a musician and songwriter so I can certainly respect a well crafted pop song, but it wasn't until I saw the DVD "Any Given Sunday", that I truly realized what he is capable of. To put it simply, the man is a guitar virtuoso that plays with as much feel as Stevie Ray Vaughn and Jimmy Hendrix. I do not say that lightly either, as I am an enormous fan of both.
On this album it is abundantly clear that this group of musicians is at the top of their game. Steve Jordan is always spectacular and is rightfully one of the most respected and sought after studio drummers in the country, if not the world. Pino Palladino is equally well-known and has played with some of the top acts in the world.
The JM3 live show, which I happened to catch at the Borgota in Atlantic City, NJ, is quite an experience. From the blues fans that came to the show out of curiosity, to the 15 year old girls with a slightly confused "I think I like this but it's not what I expected" looks on their faces, the crowd was into the performance. This album does a good job of capturing the vibe of the live show.
Crank it up and enjoy! An album like this doesn't come out very often.
Free Music Review: Just good music.
Hit: 5 Stars
I've listened to John Mayer for a long while. Like most of his fans I was listening to him when his stuff first started flying around the net. To hear this beautiful change in his music does nothing but make me happy.
However, to read some of the reviews that I've read here saddens me. Then, I realize that these people who are down-playing John's talent are the same people who, for whatever reason, never liked him in the first place. This leaves them without a valid opinion in my book and offer little proof that can change my mind about him.
I bought TRY! after listening to Daughters (my all-time favorite song) and sat perplexed as to how he could have made that song any better - but he did. Possibly it's because it's a live cut and John has a way with an audience. Or, maybe it's just his new mature sound. You take your pick, but it's just good.
If you still yearn for that "traditional" John Mayer sound - what some people may call "Pop" or melodies laced with lyrics only welcomed to overly hormonal teenaged girls (which, yes, you can hear screaming between numbers), I would suggest you skip down to track 7, "Another Kind of Green". No matter how much this song sends me into a flashback of a failed romance, or the 11th grade - it too is just good.
I could go on and on about what's "just good" about John Mayer's latest line up, but I have to stop because "I Got A Woman" (track 8) is playing right now and I have to get up and dance. I just want to take a minute and warn potential buyers, to not fret if they read the following reviews about how John's guitar playing only sounds good because he's supplemented by an excellent bassist and drummer. Please realize that that's what good musicians do. They love music that sounds right, why in the world would he place himself amongst poor musicians just to make himself sound good? It's just a stupid idea. I'm sure if he had done that he would have been very reluctant to put Steve Jordan and Pino Palladino's name on the album cover. The music sounds good, and if it took three people to do so, who cares? In this day and age we need more musicians who really play, play well, and love it.