Kelsey Mix – Online Editor/Copy Editor
1. “Wildfire” – Picking this song from the album to be the first single was a fabulous decision on John Mayer’s part. This has to be one of my favorites out of all of the songs. It has a bit of a country vibe, but it’s not like Rascal Flatts country — it’s a John Mayer country spin on his normal music. If that doesn’t make sense, I don’t blame your confusion, but when you listen to the song you’ll know exactly what I mean.
2. “Dear Marie” – This tune reminds me of something I would hear off of one of Mayer’s previous albums, “Continuum.” It’s a more chilled out song that sounds like the typical John Mayer. As for instruments, he keeps it simple. Nothing too extravagant, just guitars and some soft drums. Not one of my favorites, but I definitely appreciate it.
3. “Waitin’ On The Day” – The lyrics in this song are some of my favorites through the whole album. “Waiting on a day where my thoughts are my own/When this house is my home and plans are made” starts off the song. I think what makes me love these lyrics so much is that they’re so relatable and again, simple. But let’s face it, John Mayer doesn’t have to do much for me to like his work.
4. “Paper Doll” – Now, what would an album be if there wasn’t a song to jab at a fellow singer/songwriter…am I right? Mayer, so intelligently, decided to date pop star Taylor Swift and since things went sour, they’ve been writing about each other back and forth. Mayer wasn’t so discreet about it in this song, but I give him credit for writing more eloquently than Swift’s “Dear John.”
5. “Call Me the Breeze” – Picking up the beat a bit and adding an old-school vibe, Mayer doesn’t disappoint with this next song. In my opinion, this is a little different than his usual style, but I’m not even mad! This is a great song from the lyrics to the guitar solos. I can definitely see myself blasting this on a road trip sometime soon.
6. “Who You Love (feat. Katy Perry)” – Finally, a Hollywood relationship that’s going well! After Katy Perry’s dramatic split from Russell Brand, John Mayer swooped in and the two have been so inseparable that they made a song together! This isn’t Perry’s style at all, which makes me love it even more. You can really feel the love between these two while they sing about their unexpected love becoming something so fantastic.
7. “I Will Be Found (Lost At Sea)” – This piano-based ballad starts off sounding as a lonely, depressing tune, but becomes an optimistic story about finding yourself. The message from this song is fantastic, but I’m not a huge fan of the other elements of the tune. This one is probably my least favorite out of them all.
8. “Wildfire (feat. Frank Ocean)” – Definitely a different take on the original version of this song, but this song is great! It’s mainly just Frank Ocean singing a shorter rendition of Mayer’s original and I love that he made it into more of a ballad. This is almost a continuation of the first song on the album and I can’t love it enough.
9. “You’re No One ‘Til Someone Lets You Down” – This song to me is more sing-song-esque and almost reminds me of a Christmas song. I could be totally off there, but that’s what I think of when I hear this! Not a favorite, but not the worst song of his. I just get a nice vibe from the melody of the song, even though it’s not the most cheerful.
10. “Badge and Gun” – I’m a huge fan of this song! It reminds me of old John Mayer hits from some of his earlier albums. This is definitely my favorite on the album because of the lyrics and soft guitar throughout the tune.
11. “On the Way Home” – I really just can’t get enough of John Mayer. This is one of my favorites too! He’s a musical genius and that really showed throughout this album, especially on this last song. He threw a bit of country in this one again, which I loved. This album wasn’t too typical John Mayer and that’s what made it so great.
Four out of five owls!
