Sob Rock
by John Mayer

From Mercury 09/28/2021 02:34 | #274304

I like almost everything about this album, love almost nothing. It's a solid throwback pop rock album, sob rock indeed, breakup songs, cool beats and some seriously fabulous Mayer guitar soloing and little licks. If he had expanded on that - those guitar heroics - I may actually love this. For some reason he really pulls back. When ever he hits me with some inspired guitar part he doesn't let that breathe and grow. I wish there was at least one or 2 extended 3-6 minute guitar compositions. He is a beast of a guitarist, one of my favorites even. And at times his playing evokes Mark Knopfler and other times Clapton and most other times he showcases that sound which is all his own. And in those moments I am, without fail and every time, in music heaven. Its bliss hearing some sharp, emotional, understated Mayer guitar solo. But... then he stops almost as soon as he starts. On tracks like "Wild Blue", shit, if he had expanded on that tone and that melodic phrase, it would have been a brilliant track.

There are some legitimately catchy, and fabulous little track in here. The opner "Last Train Home" is infectious and just a good friggin pop rock song in every way. The aforementioned "Wild Blue" has something cool about its atmosphere, and is quite solid. "New Light" is a similar rock solid pop rock song to the opnening track. The ridiculous and ridiculously named "Why You No Love Me" is so good, much better than it has any right to be. I also really like "Shot in the dark" and "Till the Right One Comes" and a couple others. The album is just a solid set of tracks. Adore the album cover, it cracks me up and its executed flawlessly - he nails that 1987 pop rock album cover better than anyone outside of the 80s obviously.

The songs are each and every one about breakups and lost love. The consistent topic of the album made me wonder "did John like go through a divorce recently?" and I can't tell if he did. And of course this theme is almost a running joke for John, he is always writing songs about this subject, but here its almost every song and its even more pronounced than usual.

As for the production, its cool. Very much a throwback to heartland rock/80s pop rock. Some cool beats and synth melodies and overall the album sounds nice.

The issue and its a big one, is that I feel like half of these songs had so much potential. Maybe he just wanted to make a set of 3 minute pop tracks and not get too fancy. But damn man! Your guitar playing is brilliant, flex a little, apply your sharp musical mind to making some epic guitar jams to end all modern guitar jams! I mean The War On Drugs are amazing. They can be compared because they are also a band rooted in the same era of music that Sob Rock is. But they amp up the studio creativity and they give us lengthy, breathing, bracing, morphing, transcendent guitar solos. You can do it, John!

Anyway. It's a good album. Listened thrice and enjoyed it each time. Not quite a Top tier 2021 album. But also certainly not bad by any stretch.

From VictorVale 07/22/2021 14:19 | #271815

Bom uso da cafonice!

Sadly only ok, there are obviously some good songs on here like New Light, and I hate to admit that lyrically content aside I really enjoy the chorus and harmonies on Why You No Love Me. However, outside of that there is little to get excited about, Wild Blue is a song for guitarists to dig into, sadly the majority of the songs are rather bland.

From Keatownrodriguez 07/17/2021 14:58 | #271690

What a disappointment. New light is the only track on here that I genuinely enjoy and it's 2 years old at this point. Not to say any songs on here are awful (except for Why You No Love Me, seriously what the heck) I just know John Mayer is capable of way better. Not to mention that this album was advertised as a return to 80's soft rock tropes and that's really only seen on Last Train Home, and kind of on New Light. It really just feels like a regression to his Room For Squares stuff, which is one of my least favorite Mayer projects. There's always a chance that I change my mind, as I am known to do over a longer period of time, but for now, I am unimpressed.

An immense 80s vibe. So close to ripping things off, yet, at the last minute, he veers away and makes it uniquely his own. The last track just swells to the solo. Good to see that lockdown wasn't wasted