#486: Continuum [John Mayer, 2006]

Never call me a sexist; I don't like boys doing bluesy soft rock anymore than when women do it (#490). Mayer's third album sees him abandon pop rock and instead explore coffee shop blues. and for those who already think of Mayer as an asshole (This guy used the n-word and named his genitalia after a white supremacist in the same interview), they'll be relieved to know it carries into his music, like when he congratulates himself on not sleeping with a woman whose life he knows he would otherwise destroy (I Don't Trust Myself with Loving You). Mayer can also be politically unbearable. On Waiting for the World to Change, he naively hopes for political change, rather than organise for it. Less Yes We Can and more Maybe We Will. For all its faults though, Continuum is a gorgeously produced album, and Mayer and his producing partner Steve Jordan deserve a lot of credit. The beautiful lullaby The Heart of Life is a rare highlight on this record. Unfortunately, the rest of the album is classy and refined, but without any real bite or interest. 2/5.