Inside Wants Out [EP]

I own RFS and would give it a 5 out of 5. It is outstanding, and this isn't even my favorite genre of music, so that's saying a lot. And no, I'm not a Dave Matthews fan and I think Mayer sounds nothing like Dave Matthews, though I may be in the minority on that.

I bought "Inside Wants Out" knowing it was a "prequel" disk and that it is not full length. That is important for you to know, this album is not full length. It is more of a demo that he used to promote himself, and now that he has achieved acclaim it is being re-released.

However, those caveats being said, I would still suggest purchasing this album if you are a Mayer fan. There are enough new songs (songs not on RFS) to make it worthwhile. The songs that appear as fully-realized songs on RFS are in their pre-production stage on IWO, which is not to say they are bad at all. These songs are accoustic and simple and in a way give a more intimate feel.

"Room for Squares" came out, and I heard "No Such Thing" on the radio, and I did pick it up, and it remains one of my favorite singer/songwriter albums, but then I heard about "Inside Wants Out." The album is John's earlier work, recorded independently with him on acoustic guitar and no fancy mixes or backing. The four tracks present on both this album and "Room for Squares" (No Such Thing, Back to You, Neon, and My Stupid Mouth) come across as more honest and heartfelt in this version, with an intimate, rough-edged quality to them that brings to mind private concerts or livingroom performances.

In my personal opinion, if you haven't heard "My Stupid Mouth" done acoustically, you haven't heard it. The "Inside Wants Out" version of this song is by far my favorite John Mayer song, bar none, and is presented the way the song was meant to be heard--as an open, honest ballad rather than a big production. "Neon" stands out in this album, as well, and while I believe it superior to the "Room for Squares" version, both are excellent and worth listening to (perhaps simply in different settings). "Back to You" comes across almost exactly the same on both versions, and "No Such Thing" is equally good on both albums.

The real gem of this CD is the new content--the B-Sides Victoria, Love Soon, and Comfortable. The wistful, romantic "Comfortable" is a song for a dearly-missed ex-lover, and tugs at the heartstrings of all who have loved and lost, even if we loved again. "Victoria" is a melancholy, sad ode to someone who had to move on rather than stay where she was, with lovely but depressing lyrics and progression. And finally there's the upbeat, optimistic "Love Soon," the song for a man in love with an older woman, presenting an ages-old situation in a fresh-faced light.

While acoustic music may not be everyone's bag, this album is definitely worth getting, and makes a fantastic companion to "Room for Squares" rather than seeming superfluous due to overlapping tracks. The differences are marked enough that it's almost like listening to a different song entirely.

I'm a recent discoverer of John Mayer, and the choice in front of me was this or Room for Squares. Listening to song samples of the common songs between the albums, I found the production of the RFS album to be muddy sounding, with overproduced instrumental tracks. As a guitar player, I love the clean, pure qualities of this album. Also, one of my favorite songs on this album is Comfortable, not on the other.

A number of reviews draw comparisons to Dave Matthews. Maybe there's a superficial similarity of vocal quality, but Mayer's melodies and guitar style don't sound at all like Matthews to me. The performer that Mayer really sounds like is probably less well known than he is, David Wilcox. Mayer's vocal quality, melodies, lyrical style, everything is extremely reminiscent of Wilcox's "How did you find me here" album and if you like Mayer, try that album. Wilcox's guitar parts are played with unconventional open tunings, and I wouldn't be surprised if Mayer is doing that too on some of these songs.

If you've already bought Room for Squares and like it, don't let it keep you from getting this one too. I'm betting you'll end up liking these versions better.