John Mayer- Paradise Valley

John Mayer released Paradise Valley on Tuesday, a little more than a year after releasing Born And Raised, and to me the  difference between the two could not be more stark.

It look me a little time to get to really like Born and Raised, but once I did, I really appreciated the mood that Mayer was trying to set.  The songs really breathe and give a wide open feeling. It's a nice, mellow listen that has some stories ("Walt Grace's Submarine Test, 1967") and contemplative tracks ("Shadow Days", "Born and Raised").  It's probably my favorite in the Mayer catalog for these reasons, and knowing that Mayer is capable of a such a complete set of songs makes Paradise Valley ultimately disappointing.

There are a few tunes worth mentioning on Paradise Valley.  The opener, "Wildfire", is a summery romp.  "Waiting On The Day" reminded me so much of a David Gray song that I can hear David Gray singing it, but that's not a bad thing. I also enjoyed "You're No One 'Til Someone Lets You Down", which is about how a broken heart or broken promise makes one grow in the long run.  Some of the other songs left a bad taste, and as a collection, the set leaves the impression that Paradise Valley is almost a collection of "B" sides.  "Dear Marie" needed a few more bars before launching into the "whoh" section of the song, so the abrupt transition is a little jarring. The second "Wildfire" is under 90 seconds long, features Frank Ocean on vocals, and rhymes "suicidal and Eiffel".  And I know that Mayer is fond of covers (he covered "Crossroads" on Battle Studies), but on such a short release (40 minutes), it would have been nice to hear a Mayer-written song instead of "Call Me The Breeze", which ends abruptly, but at least doesn't end with Mayer and Katy Perry laughing like the excruciatingly repetitive and self-indulgent duet "Who You Love".

Ultimately, there are a few bright spots, but Paradise Valley isn't a memorable or very replayable set of songs.