A lot of things were better ten years ago. The state of the American economy, stable world governments, etc. Anyway, another reliable thing was accountable, shape-shifting John Mayer albums. Before 2012, John Mayer went from "Indie-Teen-Pop icon" to "Alt-Jazz-Rock-wanna-be boy," from "Blue-Run-the-Game guitarist" to "edgy-pop tycoon", and from "acoustic-dead-head drama" to "sad-boi contemplative hour". Born and Raised offered a unique shift in what we knew and expected from John Mayer. No longer was he the "it" boy – sensationalizing the media with starlets and media darlings. He’d been promoted to dazzling headlines by saying sex with Jessica Simpson was "sexual napalm," while gratuitously using the n-word in the very same article. He should have been canceled, god-darnnit. But, I honestly believe that because of Born and Raised he got a much needed second chance.
When the album came out in 2012, I quickly fell head over heels for it. The lyrics were pensive, the ambiance strangely seductive, and the simplicity genius. Ahead of its time, possibly. Anyway, the sound foreshadowed a lot of up-and-coming Americana, folk, and indie singer-songwriter music. In this time and place, Phillip Phillips would advance far in American Idol because of the coming movement. And we finally had a modern album to connect to our elders with (my grandparents who really enjoy Elvis loved the album).
Seeing the album live was another experience. It was stripped of its acoustic melancholy via backup singers, a full band, and Phillip Phillips (if you were at Riverbend seeing JM in 2013, you probably saw me in a girls tank-top I mistakenly bought for myself). Accompanying his acoustic nostalgia was a screen illuminating sights from the American southwest. The rugged country that inspired JM in a period dubbed his silent phase after vocal chord surgery. Quickly coming to life in an unforeseen way was the album’s tone: illustrating that the album was meant to be enjoyed simultaneously under the stars and on a hot night with crickets and friends.
Anyway, the album still holds up ten years later. As a teen I was wondering if I was living correctly, what love truly meant and was, and what redemption might feel like. But, this album speaks to all those feelings. Gone is JM’s feeling that he has to cater to an audience. Born is the ability to be himself and let others jam along. Maybe you felt the same way.
My favorite tracks of off the album are "The Age of Worry", "A Face to Call Home", and "Walt Grace". All three show the versatility of acoustic simplicity, the evolution of JM, and effective songwriting/storytelling. I beg you to give them a listen. Chances are the songs and the album will stack up to anything else you’ve heard in the past 10 years.
Especially now we look at the nostalgia of our coming-of-age youth. And the fairly-stable world we grew up in. But albums like this illustrate that life exists. Feelings of redemption, solace, and living with yourself are purely apart of the human experience. And, the album itself may be a time capsule allowing you to escape back to youth, simpler times, and simpler sounds. Give it a listen. Because maybe
the world needs an album like this today.
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Anyway, let us know in the comments below if you think JM stacks up to the hype Aaron believes. 3 comments or 5 shares and we’ll make Aaron cover a JM song for the channel. As the Orville peck cover is only weeks away…
- Botts
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