Call it John Mayer\'s blue period. The title of this sophomore release is perfectly appropriate. It not only refers to his choice of instrument (from the largely acoustic ear-candy of his debut, Room for Squares, to the mellow, almost exclusively electric sound of Heavier Things,) but also to his lyrics (from Squares\' wry wit to Heavier Things\' more worldly gravitas.)
On Heavier Things, Mayer exhibits himself as the virtuoso blues guitarist that he is, as brilliant in his restraint (listen to the guitar solo on "Wheel") as he is in pure technical skill. While his playing references Stevie Ray Vaughan (his idol) and Eric Clapton, his songwriting reveals the direct influence of the \'80s-era classic rock of his youth. A quick listen to "Only Heart" inspires immediate parallels between the complex harmonies and unexpected chord progressions pioneered by Steely Dan, and the chorus of "Homelife" echoes the Police at the height of their career.
The album was recorded partially in New York and reveals an artist struggling with the difficulties that accompany fame and post-9/11 ennui on songs like album opener "Clarity" (where a horn arrangement serves to lighten an otherwise heavy song) and "Something\'s Missing" ("Something\'s missing/ And I don\'t know how to fix it.") The album\'s most successful single - "Daughters" - is the least representative song on the album, being the only acoustic track. (In fact, Mayer initially expressed frustration at Sony\'s decision to release "Daughters" as the album single, worried it would pigeon-hole him into a niche teen market rather than let him expand artistically into the classic blues he favored, which ultimately led to a side project, the John Mayer Trio.)
The most noticeable change from his debut release is the general flow of Heavier Things. Every transition on the album - from line to line, chord to chord, even song to song - is effortless. There isn\'t a right angle on the whole thing - appropriate, since the bordering-on-too-cute packaging presents the album as a wheel, each song with its own color. The closing song ("Wheel") provides the perspective: "You can\'t love too much one part of it." On Heavier Things, Mayer has given fans a blues-pop tour de force on which each song truly does demand (and deserve) equal attention.
"Heavier Things" is on sale September 9, 2003 from Sony.
