Room for Squares

John Mayer | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 22, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Musicrama/Koch
• ASIN: B0000DESZE
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1,072 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #944,521 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Singer-songwriter John Mayer fills his debut, Room for Squares, with pep talks to and advertisements for himself. Even when questioning his young life, Mayer's doubts come off glib; not one second of "Why Georgia" convinces that "the stirring in my soul" keeps the artiste awake at night. Between his Dave Matthews-wannabe vocals and the accomplished but bland lite rock of his band, he could be just as easily offering tunes for hire to a coming-of-age network series as making a stand for himself and his worldview. The premise of "City Love"--that Mayer couldn't find his way around Manhattan until finding a girlfriend to root him to the place--is nice but not edifying. "My Stupid Mouth" is similarly fuzzy; letting us in on just what he said to alienate a dinner partner would've gone a long way toward fleshing out the song's pat self-deprecation. Ultimately, Mayer comes off less like a commiserating friend than a blabbermouth who's forever forgetting there's someone else in the room. And instead of whining about a discarded lunch box ("83"), dude, learn to brown-bag it the way the rest of us did. --Rickey Wright

Product Description

Asian exclusive edition of the adult alternative singer/songwriter's 2001 album. John Mayer has a voice that captures the sultry sound of Seal and recalls the crisp rhythyms of Dave Matthews. Take a listen to this CD and you will notice the influence of many genres and musicians: jazz, blues, R&B as well as rock. Mayers music is mellow enough to listen to when you are working and up enough that you will find yourself dancing in your chair without realizing it. CD includes a bonus AVCD (playable on any DVD player) with a video EPK (An intimate session with John Mayer) & four audio tracks, 'Back To You' (Acoustic), 'No Such Thing' (Acoustic), 'Lenny' (Live), & 'The Wind Cries Mary' (Live). Sony. 2003. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

106 of 115 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Like A Breath Of Fresh Air, January 24, 2002

By 

T. S. Potter (Tucson, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Room for Squares (Audio CD)

We all go through those periods when we look at our entire CD collection and say "YUCK!". After that we say a silent prayer to the CD god to send us a new album to renew our faith in music. John Mayer's ROOM FOR SQUARES hits the spot! You'll be listening to his inner heart with every track. God bless this guy's parents. They did a wonderful job!

As a songwriter, John has a very unique perspective. I can only compare it to Dar Williams in that it's a hybrid or worldly wisdom and childlike innocence. It's as though he's experiencing everything he's writing about for the first time and he's thrilled with the new discoveries. The consistency is pretty solid too. Each track is well polished and beautifully worded.

His sound is that of shimmering pop, without the computers. His melodies are graceful and catchy as all get out. His voice has a similar timbre as Dave Matthews but (with all due respect) his falsetto is far better. There's a clarity in John's voice that I don't experience in Dave's either. The tones are both fun and reflective. Great album to clean your house to on a Saturday!

By buying this album you're basically purchasing the diary of a bright eyed boy looking at the world through newly acquired adult eyes. It's positively enchanting.

57 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A CD that will leave you with a smile..., March 9, 2002

By 

J. Wingard "The Music Maven" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Room for Squares (Audio CD)

John Mayer has a voice that captures the sultry sound of Seal and recalls the crisp rhythyms of Dave Matthews. Take a listen to this CD and you will notice the influence of many genres and musicians: jazz, blues, R&B as well as rock. Mayers muisc is mellow enough to listen to when you are working and up enough that you will find yourself dancing in your chair without realizing it.

He is a classic songwriter... in what is a nice contrast to much of the mainstream music, his lyrics are not a streaming jumble of verbiage leaving you nothing but a vague sense of frustration, but words to relate to. His songs are truly artistic and expressive, showcasing the sometimes meloncholic beauty of life. His subject matter is of a wandering soul, for whom every experience is a new one. I could have skipped "No Such Thing" because I twitch whenever I hear the words "high school" but his point is a good one- draw your own lines, there is no real world. Likewise, all his songs are effective at delivering a message. In the catchy "Why Georgia" the message is a question we all ask, Where am I going? Life, "am I living it right"? Ever say something you wish you could take back? Johns answer is "My Stupid Mouth". If you are a woman, you wish you were facing Johns singing, "Your Body Is A Wonderland" (me, personally, I'm jealous of whoever that might be). You'd swear you've had "Neon" in your collection forever, with a natural melody and an R&B/jazz feel that will have you singing along. If you can't relate to these songs, you just aren't human... "City Love" conveys the excitement of a new relationship, "83"- stolen innocence, "3x5"- a long distance relationship, "St. Patricks Day"- overrated singlehood and the dating scene. "Great Indoors" is Mayers version of yelling, 'Carpe Diem!' as well as suggesting we look inside ourselves. I did. Hearing one song, "Love Song For No One", made me buy this album... I recommend you do the same.

If you like Train, Dave Matthews, Peter Gabriel, Sister Hazel or Seal, there is very good chance you will like this CD. And it will definitely leave you with a smile.

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well, I like it!, November 29, 2002

By 

Kim (Kentucky, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Room for Squares (Audio CD)

I am usually pretty turned off when some little upstart attempts to imitate a band/person I love. Now, I happen to be a huge DMB fan and have been for a good number of years now. And since everyone compares John Mayer to Dave, you'd think I wouldn't like the guy at all. But I do. Because, really, they're not similar at all. If John Mayer happens to sound somewhat like Dave Matthews, that doesn't mean he's trying to rip him off--maybe he just sings like that! And the music styles are totally dissimilar. There's nothing quite like DMB's music, and John Mayer certainly isn't trying to imitate it. This is more up-tempo rock--acoustic guitar and voice driven (no strings, no sax) that has more in common with David Gray than Dave Matthews.

I am NOT a big fan of repetitive teeny-bopper radio-friendly stuff, either, and I don't think this album falls into that category. I like the lyrics, maybe because at 23 I can relate (a quarter-life crisis? Why yes!). I once spent a whole week searching for the lunch box I had when I was little (83). I have carried on distance romances where it seems all you're doing is taking pictures of things instead of seeing them yourself (3 x 5). I've been desperate to have a Christmas-Valentine's Day love (St. Patrick's Day). No Such Thing drew me to the album in the first place, because I too have dreams of going to my 10 year reunion a bigger success than all those "popular" kids.

Maybe I'm a square, too. But for all the flak this guy is catching, I think his lyrics are a good deal better than most of the stuff on the radio now. And at least his songs sound different from one another. Yeah, he's not Dave Matthews (who is ten years older, and ten years is a lot in the songwriting material department). But he's not bad. Anyone in their mid-twenties is sure to at least understand the songs. I really happen to like them.