AWmusic

On the list of musical artists able to change people’s lives, John Mayer is number one. From Room for Squares to Where the Light Is, John Mayer has stolen my entire soul. Lyrically, he is smart, and philosophical. Skill wise, he is beast mode at guitar. Musically, he can make your bad days awesome and your awesome days awesomer. Before the release of his new album, Battle Studies, John Mayer has released his new single, “Who Says.”

Automatically, I hear a hint of “Stop This Train” in the background. And surprisingly, the song begins with a declaration of his right to get stoned. Not a subject choice I would have expected, or feel necessary. Although some of his audience may indeed get stoned, other less controversial and more relatable topics can be used to declare his ability to do whatever he pleases. Redemption, however, is slightly gained with Mayer’s explanations of the locations of his long nights and the people he meets. It’s quite the touching verse actually. However, the background beat remains repetitive, and the lyrics too persistent.

“Who Says” is a song I’m glad can be a single, so I won’t over-anticipate the soon-to-be-released Battle Studies. Hopefully it’s not my already intense bias for John Mayer’s music that makes me deny that this song is an accurate representation of the album to come.

John Mayer – Who Says
John Mayer – Stop This Train
John Mayer – 3 x 5

Note from the editor Allan Cheng: I’m not a big John Mayer fan. In fact I do want take his guitar and smash it over his head. But I digress, he does have a decent voice that I find boring but he does seem appealing to the opposite sex. John Mayer clearly doesn’t care what I think.