If there’s one thing you can’t accuse John Mayer of, it’s that his music is generic and pigeonholed. As a recording artist, his styles have ranged from radio friendly pop rock to blues, to folk, country and even white-man soul. Examining his sixth studio record Paradise Valley, it’s interesting to see where his musical direction is shifting to now.
On a first listen-through the first thing you notice with this record is how mellow and chilled out it is. Don’t get me wrong, there are songs where Mayer and his fellow musicians jam out but there’s nothing too overly aggressive or brash, it might be that Mayer’s just getting older and more placid but clearly aiming for that adult contemporary market is a sweet spot so there’s no need for anything too outlandish.
The opening track ‘Wildfire’ with its steel twang guitar and hand claps has a real home grown blues near gospel feel as it starts but the chorus is catchy enough to make it radio friendly and we’re treated to one of Mayer’s classic guitar solo jam sessions as the song fades out. ‘Paper Doll’ is the ballad and the first single from the record, featuring Mayer’s croony vocals over gently plucked and strummed guitars and brushed snare drums. The other ballad ‘Who You Love’ features Katy Perry on shared vocal duties, and honestly if it hadn’t been for the fact that she’s name dropped I would not have picked it as her singing. It’s probably the most polished track on the record, with the vocals kept solidly at the fore and the instrumentation merely a footnote.
Another guest vocalist on the record is Frank Ocean on a track coincidentally also titled ‘Wildfire’ (like the opening track) but this one goes for barely 2 minutes and even though I do enjoy Ocean’s dulcet tones it seems a little redundant. Further into the record Mayer channels his inner country troubadour on ‘You’re No One Til Someone Lets You Down’ and ‘Badge and Gun’. Slide guitars, “woooo”-ing and softly brushed drums are all elements here. Interestingly the J.J. Cale penned track ‘Call Me The Breeze’ is the most unique on the record, a live jam session that dabbles in blues, folk and pop rock all boiled together and you can just feel that the band are enjoying themselves and having fun on this track.
Mayer’s trademark guitar skills are definitely the highlight of this record but they’re also not overbearing as has been the case in the past. His more toned down vocals are probably due to him having surgery on his vocal chords prior to recording the album, I don’t think this is an excuse but more likely an explanation as to his more restrained vocal stylings on this record. As previously mentioned there’s nothing too over the top here, it’s all fairly safe and pleasurable to listen to. It will be interesting to see how these songs fare live onstage at the Bluesfest shows next year which Mayer will be headlining at.
Review Score: 7.9 out of 10
Paradise Valley is available through Sony Music Australia and is in stores and iTunes now. John Mayer will be in the country this Easter to play Bluesfest in Byron Bay – as well as, undoubtedly, some sideshows in capital cities.
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