Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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44 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Solid, with Feeling! Listen to this before you judge it!, December 29, 2005
John Mayer is stepping out in a new direction with this disc. Pino Palladino and Steve Jordan are unarguably world-class musicians, and they have contributed thier always-stellar playing here. John Mayer's guitar playing is certainly technically proficient, and I believe it has real soul, too. "Wait until tomorrow" is a good example of that soul. I don't expect him to be Buddy Guy, though Buddy himself has endorsed John. The CD isn't that well mixed, but no worse than 75% of albums released these days. Before you believe the 1-star reviews, take a closer look.
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87 of 101 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
you people know the score, January 5, 2006
Man this guy has fans and haters in all catagories!! Some of the teeny-bopper girls hate this new disk because its not pop, a few still scream for him 'cus a dude with guitar can do that to some girls. The blues fans hate the fact that somebody who prevously did pop is making money playing (quasi)blues. I wonder if the blues fans just turn away when clapton does a pop album? I have heard some say he is a subpar guitar player or derivative, or that the fact that he went to Berklee makes his playing somehow not valid. WELL,
1. I am a Berklee grad (guitar performance), so I can say with authority he is good. I sat down and figured out some of his earlier stuff, the chord voicings are tricky in places, lots of weird extensions and odd inversions. His groove is definatly there. He only attended a year too. To say that he was taught makes him less valid is, I think, quite ignorant. Everyone learns from others, no one is an island. Hendrix learned from Little Richard and Wilson Pickett in the mid 60's Clapton from John Mayall and old Freddie King records Vai from Zappa etc.
2. Lets not forget that SRV's first record was panned by all the press, he was booed off the stage at Montroux. And all the critics hated Zeppelin and called them derivitave too. Just because some of the fans/critics dont get it at first dosent mean its not good, it just means it challanges the boundries of what people think of as valid. Besides no one shold ever listen to critics. Have opinions of your own, thats what your brain is for.
3. Many dont like his voice. Many people focus on a musicians vocal quality, as if the only valid music is someone singing. I read one review here, from a 20 year old Recording Engineer, who apparently REALLY LISTENS to music. She said this guy is total crap because he hasnt got a good singing voice. Well because of her age I will cut her some slack. However she should know that its not the timbre of ones voice, or his or her range or technical ability that makes a good vocalist - rather ones ability to work within those limitations to deliver the most heartfelt telling performance at every opportunity. The fact she said nothing about the somewhat poor quality of the remainder of the disks mix is also telling. Also her lack of comment to the ABSOLUTLY KILLER PERFORMANCE of Steve Jordan and Pino Palladino is telling. These guys are both seasoned seasoned musicians with long lists of top notch sessions. She would be a lucky engineer if she ever got to work a session with either of these two.
4. There are definatly problems with the mix, very muddy at times. Hence the 3 stars insead of 4
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not you little sister's John Mayer!, November 23, 2005
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.
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by John Mayer Trio 
