Battle Studies. JM still gots the stuff.

John Mayer released his new album 'Battle Studies' yesterday.
I've been following up on his new stuff for some time now(being an avid fan of his), and
I have to say that this album is as genuine and John Mayer as it gets.
After a dizzying period of big bucks, fickle love, and grammys, John has finally come back
to his deep, songwriting side.

He's all about business, and this resolve really shows in his songs.
Some of my favorites are 'Heartbreak Warfare' and 'Edge of Desire'.
They are really mellow, although less bluesy than his previous songs, they inspire a feeling
of moist, lonely, autumn rain-shower kind of sensation in your heart.
His lyrics are still imbued with meaning, which I really like about this artist. JM is truely a poet.
But his new album, has definitely sought some criticism.
Many accuse him of being a sell-out artist--especially after Continuum.
Detractors say that his new music has lost 'soul' and demand that he go back to his blues.
I beg to differ; if he really were a sell-out artist, he would safely pitch tent with his old Continuum stuff. But, he has developed as a songwriter, and as a muscian. With that said, his new songs reflect that improvement.
I would agree that Battle Studies has shed some of the bluesiness found in his previous album. But his new songs definitely has soul and gravity. He has put a lot of care and thought in writing his songs, and that is what I value in him as an artist.