

If you follow John Mayer‘s career, which you should, you’d know that there has been a lot of time in between his releases – three years to be exact. For someone who has been so broadly popular you might as well count that in dog years, since the spotlight is a volatile, ever-changing enigma of bullshit. Mayer has maintained himself as a constant, widespread name for as long as I can remember, but after Battle Studies he sort of fell off the map. Whether or not this time was a cause or effect for his new album matters to me very little, because it was time well spent. Now he returns, triumphantly, with Born and Raised.

Let’s first establish this: B&R is not a record for fans of John Mayer on the radio, as many people are. I have nothing against that and I would venture to say neither does he, but this is a soulful expansion of Mayer’s musicianship that veers in a direction not previously taken, something that might seem very strange to a fair-weather fan. We are not void of the Mayer who has made so many infectious songs, but he delivers a product laced with many different influences we haven’t heard from him before. He even mentions Neil Young in the lead-off track “Queen of California” and you’ll hear some After the Gold Rush running like a quaint little creek throughout B&R. One thing that will enrage true Mayer fans – and I have already heard it in response to “Shadow Days” – is that he has gone “too country.” Because this record is not jam-packed with chart-crafted pop-fusion songs, which Mayer admits to making and enjoying, people have chosen to write him off already.

Mayer lets his blues roots shine brighter than on any of his previous efforts, at least in the songs they make appearances in. The thing is, you hear folk (not country, god damn it.), blues, even tinges of his signature pop creations and that is a great thing this time around. I said recently that Battle Studies was a little scatter-brained, but Born and Raised is putting it to shame in that regard. But there seems to be a method to the madness and it is maintained in such a positive way. Mayer traverses the musical spectrum, crosses lines and brings it all home before the end.

I implore all listeners to give this album MULTIPLE chances, because it WILL grow on you. Even I was guilty of a degree of shock when hearing this record. It was a good shock though; if you follow my music tastes you will know I am a folk enthusiast, but there was still a moment when I could not quite make sense of it. One thing that did not bode well with me though, aside from the title track and “Shadow Days,” is that there is nothing that had my thumb circling the repeat button. However, after a few listens I realized this album is a package deal and completely embraced it in its entirety, rather than a song-by-song basis.

A unique quality about B&R is the combination of traditional Mayer-style lyrics and a new folk-esque style that seems like the storytelling of a specific moment, recorded even as the events unfold, that he gave us a taste of with “Assassin” on Battle Studies. Songs like “Queen of California,” “Walt Grace’s Submarine Test 1967” and “Whiskey, Whiskey, Whiskey” stand out brilliantly in contrast with the Mayer who initially earned himself our ears, although the latter is not absent by any means here on Born and Raised.

This is a John Mayer record for those who respect and appreciate what he does and understand a musician’s need to change and evolve. We won’t ever get Heavier Things or Continuum again, but we got Born and Raised. While it is by no means perfect, I respect the shit out of Mayer for making it and I hold it in high esteem. He may lose a few fair-weather fans with this one, but he will solidify himself some lifelong faithfuls just as easily. As a follow-up to Battle Studies, I couldn’t have pictured it any better.

