John Mayer - Heartbreak Warfare (Columbia)

With seven Grammys under his belt, and at the well-paced aged of 33, John Mayer could give up writing radio-friendly, blues-influenced pop songs. It's a good job he's as good as he is, because few hit seekers could turn a seemingly tired metaphor into something so intriguing.

A huge star across the pond, Mayer has had less impact in the UK. His plans to tour over here see him hit only a selection of major cities, with two nights at Wembley Arena. 'Heartbreak Warfare' won't see that success change, but it does boast an impressive mix of tremolo guitar effects, a stomping bassline and Mayer's husky crooning. Not to mention an opening line with a lot of panache; "Lighting strike inside my chest to keep me up at night".

This is a single which sees Mayer demonstrating what a fantastic songwriter he is. However, the lazy vocal is evidence that this comes a little too easy for him. 'Heartbreak Warfare' sums up the album Battle Studies a lot better than its lead single, 'Who Says'. The LP is full of other radio-friendly tunes (such as 'Half of My Heart', featuring Taylor Swift, for example), but 'Heartbreak Warfare' is a good choice for describing Mayer's current personal direction.

'Heartbreak Warfare' stays true to Mayer's blues turn with 2007's Continuum, but it is much less adventurous. Mayer seems to be returning to the mainstream tunes that made his name, which is a shame. Overall though, a gallant effort.

Rating: 3/5

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Artist: John Mayer Title: Battle Studies Released: 17/11/2009 Buy Now \| View Details	Artist: John Mayer Title: Continuum Released: 08/04/2008 Buy Now \| View Details

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Published: 26/02/2010 at 00:06
Author: David Spencer
Links: Permanent Link