Continuum is the third studio album by American musician John Mayer, released September 12, 2006 on Columbia Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during November 2005 to September 2006 at The Village Recorder in Los Angeles, California, Avatar Studios and Right Track/Sound on Sound in New York City, and Royal Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. Production was handled primarily by Mayer and Steve Jordan. It marked a change in Mayer's musical style, and incorporated musical elements of blues and soul more heavily than in his previous work with pop-rock. The album debuted at number 2 on the U.S. Billboard Read more on Last.fm.
This is a great album and you see a transformation in Mayer as a song writer. You can see his celebrity being used as a voice of change. If this album is not in your collection you need to get it.
Seems I was introduced to John Mayer when he performed Daughters on the Grammys. I was impressed with the quality of his voice and guitar style. I suppose some time went by before I really investigated his music. In comes Continuum and my eyes were opened up. This is a very good album. I’m not one to like or dislike something based on outside influences. I make every effort to listen to every release as if in a vacuum, making comparisons only afterwards. Mayer’s Blues-Soul-Pop sound has found a prominent place in my collection with Continuum being the catalyst that made it possible.
I’m going to commit the cardinal music sin of saying I was disappointed in this album because John Mayer didn’t go the direction I wanted him to. The JM Trio’s “Try!” was such a great live blues album, that I was sincerely hoping we’d have some more Stevie Ray Vaughn-style songs here. Unfortunately, I think great songs like “Gravity” are weighed down by mediocre hook-songs like “Waiting On the World to Change”.
John Mayer had a lot to prove. He was a singer songwriter who fit in easily with the James Taylors as much as the girl adored emotional teen sensations. He must have had more of an issue with the latter.
Continuum eschews the acoustic intelligence and smart lyricism of Mayer’s previous work for a more Clapton oriented, electric guitar focused collection of bluesy, immediate hits, all of them worthy of single contention. The albums sound allowed Mayer’s true talents as a guitar player to come full circle. His once encyclopedic lyrical style was traded in for a more bare bones, emotional breakup vibe…which works.
Good stuff…good tunes….classic album.