The Village Sessions [Import]

John Mayer | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 12, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: SonyBMG
• ASIN: B000LPRNA4
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,066 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

If John Mayer has ants in his pants--and, given his many projects and the amount of music he releases in any given year, it appears that he does--his fans aren't complaining. Nor should they be. The Village Sessions, a six-song EP that retools favorites from Mayer's highly regarded Continuum disc, is mostly a way to feel further connected to him; the hurt comes through on "In Repair" both vocally and via expressive acoustic guitar work, making the Continuum version sound clipped by comparison, and the kicked-back version of "Good Love Is on the Way" (the one song here not from Continuum, but from Try!, a 2005 live disc) dispenses with angst in favor of a more liquid groove. Overall, it's a study in intimacy and focus--for Mayer, there seems to be a certain magic within the four walls of L.A.'s Village Recorder, where he laid down these tracks. Then again, maybe not: Prolific as he is, Mayer is no wand-waver. His reputation for musical pureness proceeds him, and The Village Sessions is one more testament to it. --Tammy La Gorce

Product Description

The ever prolific john mayer delivers 'the village sessions', a 6-song ep that retools favorites from his highly regarded 'continuum' album. With the exception of the ben harper track, the ep was recorded in one day at the village recorder in LA.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy it!, December 29, 2006

By 

Bunkster Brown (MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Village Sessions (Audio CD)

I'm not very objective when it comes to John Mayer, since I love everything he does. However... this CD really blew me away the first time I listened to it. I love Continuum and Try!, but this CD really reminded me how great John is on acoustic guitar. If you're not crazy about anything John has done since Room For Squares, you will probably love this. Not since "Inside Wants Out" have I heard John playing such pure, unadulterated guitar. You can just get lost in imagining his fingers moving over the strings... and it's fun to hear some guitar and vocal variations on the songs contained in Continuum (5 songs) and Try! (1 song); John's voice sounds as smooth as honey. My biggest critique, and this is one I've heard lamented by other John Mayer fans, is that it's only six songs... and it leaves you desperately wanting more more more. At only $1 per song, it's worth it to get this CD though. I wish John would put out a double album with 26 acoustic songs on it... although I love his electric guitar too, he is so amazing on acoustic and it's a great change of pace when you're feeling mellow. My favorite song on Continuum, "Belief," is included on this CD and sounds fantastic. "In Repair" is also fantastic. They all are, actually. "Waiting on the World..." sounds similar, except the background vocals are really different and gives the song a whole new twist.

6/09 Wow! in the two and a half years since I wrote this review, the price has skyrocketed from $5.99 to over $21 !!!! That's outrageous!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice to see talent in today's music scene, May 23, 2007

By 

ApeTit (Monkeyville, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Village Sessions (Audio CD)

I must admit that when John first appeared with album # 1 a few years back I said to myself "here we go again, another pretty boy with no musical substance". Since then, I have been proven wrong and become a fan. In addition, I must applaud him for being so ambitious. He's released alot of music and covered alot of ground in 5 years. Although I wasn't crazy about the trio record (he ain't Hendrix or SRV even though he is a huge fan of both), the Continuum album really brought me around. Most of the songs are on the mellow side but still are great! This EP contains acoustic stripped down versions of some of those songs and is priced well so I would advise anyone who likes his current album to pick this up as a companion piece.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars John Mayer Contines to Mature and Grow Musically..., April 10, 2007

By 

John R. Thurman Jr. - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Village Sessions (Audio CD)

I've been a big fan of John Mayer for 6 years now; however, he has taken his music to the next level with Continuum. His musical gifts have been obvious from the beginning, but now he is getting in his groove and polishing his sound with this rediscovery of the blues. The Village Sessions bears all of this too light. He combines his rediscovery of his love for the blues with his tremendous gift of acoustic guitar playing. This produces a pleasant and relaxing listen. This cd is a must for the collection as it expands his depth and brevity with some of the other songs on Contiuum. A definite must have!