| | John Mayer Continuum CD John Mayer Discography of CDs
 (34 Customer Reviews)
John Mayer's progression as an artist has been an intriguing one. The move from his acoustic folk debut INSIDE WANTS OUT to the electric pop of his breakthroughs, ROOM FOR SQUARES and HEAVIER THINGS, showed him to be a singer, guitarist, and songwriter of range as well as commercial durability. Mayer then confounded the critics who dismissed him as a Dave Matthews clone when he released a raw, rootsy, blues-based live album with a trio that featured ace session musicians.
The horizons of Mayer's musical world continued to expand with 2006's CONTINUUM. Mellow and soulful, yet textured and sophisticated in execution, CONTINUUM incorporates all the elements of the artist's previous releases while raising the bar on craft, musicianship, and tunesmithery. Classic blues, R&B, and soul are the major touchstones here, but Mayer doesn't merely ape his influences; instead he assimilates them into a personal singer-songwriter mode that is as affecting as it is understated. Mid-tempo and downtempo grooves dominate, but the man still has a way with a lilting, folk-tinged melody (as on the lovely "The Heart of Life"). Mayer's deft guitar work and increasingly nuanced singing take center stage on first listen, but it is his heartfelt, beautifully written songs that truly make CONTINUUM shine.
Recording information: Avatar Studios, New York, NY; Right Track Recording, New York, NY; Royal Studios, Memphis; The Village Recorder, Los Angeles, CA.
Photographers: John Mayer ; Sam Erickson; Mark Seliger; Chad Franscoviak.
Personnel: John Mayer (vocals); John Mayer (guitar); Pino Palladino (vocals, electric bass, background vocals); Steve Jordan (vocals, drums, percussion); Sandy Vongdasy, Harley Pasternak, Maggie Slavonic, Ricky Cytonbaum, Scotty Crowe, Kristen Moss (vocals); Ben Harper (guitar); Charlie Hunter (8-string guitar); Willie Weeks (electric bass); Steve Jordan (drums, percussion, background vocals); Manolo Badrena (percussion); Chalmers "Spanky" Alford, James Valentine (guitar); Lannie McMIllian (tenor saxophone); Jim Mahorn (baritone saxophone); Ben Carley (trumpet); Jack Hale (trombone); Roy Hargrove (horns); Ricky Peterson (piano, keyboards); Lester Snell (Fender Rhodes piano, organ); Larry Goldings (organ, keyboards); Jamie Muhoberac (keyboards).
Audio Mixers: Manny Marroquin; Michael Brauer.
Rolling Stone (p.81) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "His breathy vocals are firmly at the album's center, and the R&B tradition he's mining lends weight to his pop flourishes."
Rolling Stone (p.103) - Ranked #11 in Rolling Stone's "The Top 50 Albums Of 2006" -- "[A] breezy pop-rock record..."
Entertainment Weekly (p.71) - "[A] John Mayer record par excellence: taut, melodic, well sung, impeccably played..."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.108) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Mayer has written worthy songs of protest, affirmation and hope." Continuum Music | Category | Rock/Pop Albums, Pop CDs, Rock | | Label | Aware | | Orig Year | 2006 | | All Time Sales Rank |  911  | | CD Universe Part number | 7262581 | | Catalog number | 79019 | | Discs | 1 | | Release Date | Sep 12, 2006 | | Studio/Live | Studio | | Mono/Stereo | Stereo | | Producer | John Mayer; Steve Jordan; John Mayer; Steve Jordan | | Engineer | Dave O'Donnell; Joe Ferla; John Alagia; Willie Mitchell; Chad Franscoviak |
John Mayer Continuum Songs | 1. | Waiting on the World to Change | $1.29 | |
| 2. | I Don't Trust Myself (With Loving You) | $0.99 | |
| 3. | Belief | $0.99 | |
| 4. | Gravity | $1.29 | |
| 5. | Heart of Life, The | $1.29 | |
| 6. | Vultures | $0.99 | |
| 7. | Stop This Train | $1.29 | |
| 8. | Slow Dancing in a Burning Room | $1.29 | |
| 9. | Bold as Love | $0.99 | |
| 10. | Dreaming with a Broken Heart | $1.29 | |
| 11. | In Repair | $0.99 | |
| 12. | I'm Gonna Find Another You | $0.99 | |
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Continuum Music Review Average Rating: (4 out of 5 stars)   List All Reviews I don't think this album is reviewable!
I've seen the majority of the reviews about this album, and I can say that I did not know a single bit about John Mayer, outside of "Body is a Wonderland". And I was surprised at, yes, the craft of this record. One of the things that helps Continuum shine is its easy listenability. Even though the subjects of the songs are hard to write catchy songs about, John Mayer pulls it off with great aplomb. And, I always let the music speak for the artist, rather than let the artist's personality dictate whether or not I listen to the music. John Mayer may himself be conceited, maybe a stump, maybe terrible live, but I would forget all that and just concentrate on the music.
So, in relation to that, the music itself is crafted in such a way to appeal to somebody, anywhere. His mix of blues (the quality of which has been questioned), pop (from his previous incarnation), and rock (what artist doesn't incorporate rock into their stuff) is quite hearable and understandable. Also, consider the current climate of the culture of the United States. The current generation is spoiled rotten, but on average we're aware of it. But we don't do that much about it, because our culture endorses "BUY! BUY! BUY!" and we get caught up in it. In such a case, the single "Waiting On The World To Change" is much, much more relevant than some people might believe. If this album was released in the early seventies, I would predict that John Mayer would become as great as Paul Simon, merely on the strength of this album, if this album was released in the seventies. And consider: I am a John Denver fan, who was the greatest songwriter that appealed to millions of people of different kinds based solely on his songwriting. I was very, very impressed with the songwriting quality of this album. It is a modern classic that, fortunately or unfortunately, panders to a style that has been trashed in many ways: the style of the singer/songwriter.
Of course, "Waiting On The World To Change" is one of the best on here, but "Stop This Train" is a beautiful ode to the inability to really control your life, no matter what generation you may be from. Also, "Belief" is a catchy song that, in a way, is about Iraq. "We're never gonna stop the war, we're never gonna beat this if belief is what we're fighting for," he sings, and it hits a spot in your heart that makes you think about yourself and your beliefs. "Gravity" is a well-crafted song about materialism that doesn't outright point any fingers, but you get the point pretty quickly. He sings about how "twice as much ain't twice as good, and can't sustain what one half could".
I must admit, though, that "Bold As Love" does seem like filler, and "In Repair" comes off like a Coldplay-sound-alike. But most everything else is very, very well-done, especially "Heart of Life" and "Vultures". The bottom line is, don't think of blues when thinking of this album. Don't think of the artist when thinking of this album. Don't think of any sort of stereotype that you may have when listening to this album. After doing that, think then about how it made you feel, how it made you think, how the music moved you to do (or not do) something. Because the greatest strength of this album is when it gets personal, when you abandon all pretentions and just listen to it. And that is what I wholeheartedly suggest. This album is worthy of the Grammies it got. It is worthy to be added into your record collection, if you let it into your heart.
Submitted by Galen (Anchorage, AK, USA)
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