Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Perfectly Average John Mayer, November 17, 2009
John Mayer set the bar too high on the last album and falls short of his high standard on this one. A lot of his songs are good, but there's nothing here that has the punch of Continuum, which I believe is his finest work and an absolute masterpiece. On Continuum, he shows how fantastic his guitar skills are and brings his blues influence out in full force. On Battle Studies, he sinks backwards towards some of his older, less sophisticated works. After several listens, this album has grown on me, but it's only enjoyable, not fantastic.
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39 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Battle Studies: A Review, November 17, 2009
There is no doubt in my mind that pop veteran John Mayer can write pleasant pop music and accent it nicely with excellent guitar playing. Battle Studies tries to incorporate a small portion of each, assumedly, to keep his pop and his trio fans both satisfied.
Musically, Battle Studies is a small departure from past Mayer recordings. Of course, Mayer experiments with new guitar sounds ("Half of My Heart," "Crossroads," "Edge of Desire"), but the basic principle of his writing says the same; focus on simplicity.
While many of the tracks are initially acceptable, they are rarely truly completed in their arrangements. Potentially great tracks like "Edge of Desire," "Perfectly Lonely," and "Heartbreak Warfare" lack a simple variation at their middle or end points and, consequently, become substantially redundant before they reach their end points. "Perfectly Lonely" especially banks on repetition to fill out a wide open arrangement, but it isn't nearly effective enough to bring the tune home.
Mayer even attempts a Cream/Clapton classic, "Crossroads," midway through his newest product. He certainly manages to suck every bit of emotion and human characteristic out of the track. The MIDI-sounding guitar effect is a wreck, and the poppy format is nauseating.
And don't even get me started on lead single "Who Says." The guitar arrangement is the polar opposite of creative, the lyrics are lazy and meaningless, and the tune is instantly forgettable. It's just plain poor songwriting, and why he chose this specific track for inclusion on Battle Studies (or any album, for that matter) is so far beyond me that I cannot express it to you with actual words.
But Battle Studies does have its small victories; these tracks being "All We Ever Do Is Say Goodbye," "Half of My Heart," "Do You Know Me," but the rest of the album is nothing overwhelmingly special on the first listen. Mayer seems to be bent on experimentation, but doesn't seem to want to completely abandon the pop ship he considers a safe haven. For example:
"Half of My Heart," while a perfect pop song, is a surprisingly obvious ploy from Mayer for extra popularity, thanks to a random appearance by Taylor Swift. Swift's guest "vocals" are, in part, pointless; and, in part, puzzling. Taylor Swift has nothing exclusive to offer here; her vocal range, creativity, and tone are nothing that a similar (or more talented) vocal artist could have pulled off here, including Mayer himself. Additionally, Swift's voice is never actually heard too clearly during the track, which is where the puzzling part comes into place. In essence, Mayer is using Swift strictly for her current popularity, and this is unnecessary and intolerable for someone like Mayer who should not feel like he has to stoop to such levels to gain a #1 hit radio spot.
In conclusion, Mayer manages to make an unbelievably bland record even more generic with haphazard "special guests," unpolished attempts at experimentation, and a complete lack of cohesion and progression. What a disappointment. I vote that John Mayer worries less about who says he can't get stoned, and more about making actual music. (5.5/10)
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Give it a chance, November 18, 2009
I previewed this album and was not a fan. But then I had to think back to my initial response to other Mayer albums. Listen to it again, and before you know it, you'll be singing along, picking up on the minute details that make all of his albums great. It is a house album, that HE produced, it is breaking some new ground, there is experimenting, which at times may seem like a mess, but in the grand scheme creates a piece of art.
Give it a chance. It's not blues, its not rock, its not pop, what it is, is an expression of an artist. Respect it for that, not what YOU as the listener were expecting, or that YOU wanted made. Honestly most of the listener desired music is garbage. Let the Artist dictate what art is, not the spectator.
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