• 122 Plays
  • Born And RaisedJohn Mayer (featuring Graham Nash & David Crosby)

Song Of The Day: John Mayer ‘Born and Raised.’ Mayer’s new album (‘Born and Raised’) in my opinion, isn’t his strongest effort. In fact, when he underwent surgery on his vocal chords, the doctors may have disposed of some of his songwriting skills. The highlights of the album are too few to constitute giving it a mediocre review. The first single ‘Shadow Days,’ is blatent rip off of George Harrison’s first solo effort, not to say it’s void of all charm, because the song is catchy and well played. ‘Walt Grace’s Submarine Test, January 1967,’ has the potential to be a great song if it weren’t for Mayer’s obvious questions that even a high school letter men-ed quarterback would get: (‘Cause when you’re done with this world. You know the next is up to you.’) The first time I heard that, I said out loud to no one, ‘No shit, Sherlock.’ The rest of the album is watered down Laurel Canyon wanna-be classic rock by a still contemporary artist. But then I heard the title track ‘Born and Raised,’ featuring Graham Nash and David Crosby (Mayer’s attempt at being Crosby, Mayer, and Nash) I got excited. This is the best song on the album; thanks in part to half of CSNY. But the arrangement is strange; the harmonies pop in and out in some strange places, especially at the end of the tune when their voices blend for only 4 beats. Had they gone for, I don’t know, 24 more beats, the song may have caused people to hit repeat a few time. It’s a nice quiet song that still gives me hope for the future of John Mayer, because if this album is Mayer’s Swan Song, then that bird is going drown.