Song: Gravity
Album: Where the Light Is - Live in Los Angeles
*note - I have recently resigned myself to a simple fact: I am a John Mayer fan. The man clearly has an outrageous ego. Anybody on Twitter could tell you that much. He strikes me as arrogant, self-important, and brash. But I can no longer deny his talent. I am not above copping to the merits of a good pop song. I've written some songs, and writing something with a good hook and solid lyrics is close to impossible. John Mayer seems to do this with ease. And on top of that, I think he's a damn fine guitar player, and that, to me, is what sets him apart from other top 40 bland-dealers like Jason Mraz. If he falls short on the guitar it's because he tries too hard to be a bluesman. He has blues chops, sure, but I think his real skill is the ability to come up with a big, buttery, pop guitar lick. That's why I like him at least. Almost everything the man does is humm-able.
Simply put, I think there's something important about John Mayer. He plays music that tons of people love, but is also someone who, I believe, attempts to incorporate aspects of traditions that were never top 40. Furthermore, I think the combo of his popularity and his raw talent mean that he will be someone still producing quality music in 20 years. Today's music industry does not support artists with longevity. The industry will support whoever makes it the most money as quickly as possible, irrespective of where they will be in 2 years, let alone 5 or 10. In that sense, John Mayer is the last of a dying breed. He's a money maker who just happens to play solid, enduring music.
This video makes my point. Listen, if you hate it you hate it. His voice is kind of ridiculous, and clearly the dude will never be suave onstage. But I'll be damned if everything from 4:30 on doesn't kind of rock. Bring on the buttery licks!
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