Bobby Kaleel ’15
John Mayor is back. John Mayer comes out with his sixth studio album, Paradise Valley. In Mayer’s past album Born and Raised he strung out a little bit with more of a country feel, but in Paradise Valley Mayer gets back to his soft rock roots. Mayor’s album debuted at number 2 on the billboard 200, with his singles “Paper Doll” and “Wildfire” leading the way. Mayor keeps maturing with each album, and this album shows his music is only getting better.
Mayer’s first single “Paper Doll” is classic Mayer. It has a very soft beat accompied by an acoustic guitar with soft vocals by Mayor. Many rumor this single is a shot at Taylor Swift, Mayer’s ex-girlfriend. In the chorus Mayer sings “You’re like 22 girls in one/and none of them know what they’re running from.” This is a direct reference to Swift’s single “22”. The relationship element only brought hype to the single.  It is a very catchy song that is a perfect single. After you listen to it once, you need to listen to it again. Mayor’s second single “Wildfire” is a more upbeat song with a country feel to it. The constant banjo playing in the background makes it an unforgettable song. This single was released mid- summer and at the time was a perfect summer song. In the chorus Mayor sings “‘Cause a little bit of summer makes a lot of history.” This made this song a great summer anthem. Another song on the album that is worth a listen is “I Will Be Found (Lost at Sea)”. This is a very slow song with some great electric guitar riffs. The song is a great tie in to the “Worthy of the Call” theme this school year with Mayor speaking on no matter how long your place on earth will be found.  Some other songs worth listening to are “Dear Marie”, “Waiting On The Day”, “Who You Love”, and “You’re No One ‘Til Someone Lets You Down”. The content of this album is great, even with only ten major songs on the album.
Mayer building a better career with each album. If you have not given this album a listen then I suggest you do. Mayor did a great job on Paradise Valley.
Edsman rating: B+