John Mayer's Born and Raised

Born and Raised by John Mayer

Released May 22, 2012

The anticipation is over. Granuloma be damned, Born and Raised by John Mayer is finally out. Many people, myself included, wondered when this album would come out because of his throat condition but the official date was finally put out and now the album is here. I must say that it is not at all what I expected but it is, in my opinion much better than his Battle Studies album. When the first single came out, Shadow Days in this case, I was surprised but happy. See I will listen to essentially everything and all genres of music so it was great to hear something fairly new from Mayer. I thought that maybe it would sound more like Continuum and less like Battle Studies until this single came out. Either way, I was pleased to see it wasn't BS, yes, bullshit. This album really highlights his ability to write and perform in almost any genre. From his mainstream pop that is mildly digestible at times to his blues with the John Mayer Trio that I find amazing to this now. Even though I do like the diversity in Mayer's music, this album seems to have similar themes in every song. Most start with an acoustic guitar intro and at times the album gets.... weird. But on a second listen I realized that I liked most of the tracks that I didn't the first time through. And really, what's wrong with weird? I listen to old school Red Hot Chili Peppers and enjoy it, and trust me; there are few things weirder than old school Red Hot Chili Peppers. One thing to keep in mind with this is that Mayer writes great lyrics. It doesn't matter what they're really about (who cares if Shadow Days is an apology to Jennifer Aniston? Just listen and enjoy), they are decent. But just decent, as well as seeing that they weren't half bad I also saw that most of them weren't half bad, but just not half bad. Without further ado, the track list and the notable songs....(those will be the ones with writing under them)

Track One - Queen of California

This one is actually my favorite track off the album. It sets the pace for the rest of album and even though it shows the new style that Mayer is writing in it keeps his style of acoustic guitar: finger pick the hell out of it. This one is notable to me because it has been stuck in my head for days.

Track Two - The Age of Worry

Track Three - Shadow Days

This is the first song that was released as a single from this album. It is actually a very country-ish sounding song which appeals to my tastes but like I said before, I listen to a lot of different types of music. This kind of gave an indication of where Mayer was going with this album.

Track Four - Speak For Me

Track Five - Something Like Olivia 

This is really the first time that a notable electric guitar part is on the album. This makes the song a slight contrast to those before but maintains the country/folk feeling.

Track Six - Born and Raised

For me, this one took some warming up too. I thought that this one was not good at all the first time that I listened to it but around the fourth listen I found myself tapping along with the beat and singing. That's when I realized that it wasn't a half bad track.

Track Seven - If I Ever Get Around To Living

Track Eight - Love is a Verb

This seems more poppy than any other track on this album. Everything about the lyrics, vocal tones, and rhythm screams out pop but the instruments don't. Put in an electric guitar instead and kick up some of the drums a bit more and this could have been on Continuum. 

Track Nine - Walt Grace's Submarine Test, January 1967

Just look at the title. Look at it. 

Track Ten - Whiskey, Whiskey, Whiskey

Track Eleven - A Face to Call Home

Track Twelve - Born and Raised (Reprise) 

I originally liked this a hell of a lot more than the actual title track at first. The reprise is a much more uptempo and upbeat than the original and will be better for those who prefer faster music. By the way, for all of you unfamiliar with musical terms, a reprise is a repetition of a previous track with similar themes and sometimes different lyrics to progress a story that the songs are telling. I didn't check to see if that's exactly what Mayer is doing here, but I bet it is.

Track Thirteen - Fool to Love You (iTunes Bonus Track)

Easily the second best track on the album. It is an iTunes bonus track but it is definitely worth the $1.16 or whatever it is to buy it. This track follows the themes and styles that the rest of this album does but it does it better.


Blue Says 7 Acoustic Guitars Out of 10