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Mayer's latest album doesn't quite measure up
The Advocate
John Mayer’s fourth studio album, “Battle Studies,” is all about heartbreak and loneliness.
The first single from the album, “Who Says,” is all about getting stoned and escaping reality and, of course, girls.
Mayer writes his own songs, but when you listen to the second track on the album, “All We Ever Do is Say Goodbye,” you wonder why he is allowed to write his own songs. The song repeats the words “all we do is say goodbye” at least 18 times. That’s right, 18 times. Even with a voice like Mayer’s, this is annoying and feels as if he’s trying to sell you something.
The duet with Taylor Swift, “Half of my Heart,” sounds more like a solo performance with a back-up vocal than a duet. Swift’s voice adds a nice distraction from the incredibly repetitive lyrics of this song.
If only the two would have been able to use their guitar skills to make the duet stand out, this may have been good, but now it’s just another depressing song without any spark.
“Assassin” might be the only song with any kick on this album. Casual encounters with women seem to be better song material for Mayer than the heartbreak women bring to him. His previous albums didn’t whine about heartbreak, but instead songs like “Your Body is a Wonderland” emerged and made Mayer into the star he is.
The guitar that seems to never leave his side in pictures does not make a sound on the album. Mayer is a wild-haired troubadour that comes in with a sense of mystery and steals the hearts of millions of women. None of his musical talent stood out and it seems as though he might be relying on his looks and tabloid publicity alone to sell this album.
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