The Student News Site of Westfield High School

Hi's Eye

The Student News Site of Westfield High School

Hi's Eye

The Student News Site of Westfield High School

Hi's Eye

John Mayer’s style fails to impress 

by Alyssa Gurkas

Born and Raised, John Mayer’s fifth studio album, was released on May 22. The album sold 219,000 copies and reached number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart within its first week of sales.

Released by Columbia, the album was recorded over the past year, as Mayer was simultaneously diagnosed with granuloma, a voice disorder that can form from irritation or trauma to the vocal cords according to mayoclinic.com.

Despite its commercial success, the album lacks memorable lyrics. However, Mayer has taken a risk by changing his style, which ultimately pays off.

Kudos go out to Mayer for  adopting subtle country melodies within the album. The sound of the songs “Speak for Me” and “Queen of California” carry these melodies.

However, this new sound infusion falls short in the track “Walt Grace’s Submarine Test, January 1967,” which sacrifices Mayer’s sound to the overwhelming country theme, causing a choppy sounding product.

The single bright spot of the album was the track “Shadow Days.” The song is a familiar Mayer sound that will remind listeners of his earlier work.

The lyrics were simple, and contained John Mayer’s typical love song phrases. One lyric that stood out the most was, “Well I ain’t no trouble maker/ And I never meant her harm/ But it doesn’t mean I didn’t make it/ Hard to carry on.”

The album was completely different from anything else Mayer has ever created.

However, in order to keep his fans intrigued, he should stick to the classic style that put him on the top of the charts in the first place.

Sadly, Mayer does not “say what he needs to say.”
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