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| Artist: John Mayer
Label: Sony
List Price: $18.97
Buy Used: $6.49
You Save: $12.48 (66%)
New (28) Used (34) Collectible (2) from $6.49
Rating:  464 reviews
Sales Rank: 1114
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 79019
UPC: 828767901923
EAN: 0828767901923
ASIN: B000H0MKGK
Release Date: September 12, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: Minor scratches very minor. Immediate shipment & free delivery confirmation. Contact us if you do NOT receive email within 2 business days. WA Sales Tax Included.
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| Customer Reviews:
 A Perfect Album in A Perfect Place September 12, 2006
Adam M. Koss (Somerset, NJ USA)
11 out of 14 found this review helpful
Sometimes, when you're trying to get where you're going, you have to shoot past that place so that when you split the difference, you're right where you want to be. Continuum - music by John Mayer, is the culmination of not just the past two years but of John's entire musical career, from coffeeshop troubadour to pop icon to blues guitar hero. His best work yet, Continuum fits perfectly between Room For Squares and Try! (his live "blues" trio release), and in fact some might say he needed the Trio to get where he is now - which is a really, really good place. This album has it all - great songwriting and deep lyrics that run the spectrum of insightful to downright painful, a funky groove more in tune with classic R&B than contemporary pop/rock, solid vocal melodies and serious, I mean "REAL DEAL" guitar tracking and solos on almost every singly song. And it has all of John - he really lays it all out musically and lyrically, he produced the album (with his colleague Steve Jordan) and even designed the cover art.
As for the songs themselves, every one is a gem, some even sparkling diamonds. He sets it all up by opening with "Waiting on the World to Change," which generates the albums funkiness right off the bat while simultaneously setting the psychosocial tone that pervades much of the album. And there's a real guitar solo - good sign of things to come. Next comes "I Don't Trust Myself (With Loving You)," a sexy jam that replaces the cheesy `bubble-gum tongue' metaphors with love's confusing and merciless nature (and hopefully will replace them on the radio waves as well). "Belief" reenters the political tone, criticizing all blind faith and describing its role in our war-ridden society - he even asks "What puts a hundred-thousand children in the sand? ... What puts the folded flag inside his mother's hand?" and answers, "Belief can. Belief can."
"Gravity" was given to us earlier on the Try! album, but this version is even more glorious. The clean electric guitar sound on this track is about as good as I've ever heard, no exaggeration (the guys at Fender and K&M/Two-Rock amps should be proud). The tune ends with a real soulful harmonic vocal build that can be described only by goosebumps. "The Heart of Life" is one of the simpler tunes on the album, providing a nice break between "Gravity" and "Vultures," while giving an emotional optimism that seems so honest as to convert even the biggest cynics. He sings "Pain throws your heart to the ground/Love turns the whole thing around/No it won't all go the way it should/But I know the heart of life is good."
"Vultures" is another revisited tune, very similar to the live version but with keys added and a "don't give up" fade-out that wraps the tune nicely in its studio package. "Stop This Train," in my opinion, is one of the best-written songs on the entire album. It revisits some of the emotions discussed earlier in "Gravity" and "The Heart of Life," which in itself makes the point that once we think we've tackled those big existential questions, they keep haunting us (as in the lyric "I just can't sleep on this tonight") in the ongoing aporia. It's also the best vocal track on the album, and ends with its own crescendo to final resolution (if there could be one given the subject matter). From existence we return to relationships with the best metaphor-title of them all, "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room." John paints a portrait of a couple fallen out of love having their last intimate moment, and does so perfectly. The guitar work is both beautiful and blistering (if you listen closely), and the vocal harmonies round it out in a sound so huge it's hard to believe only John, Steve, and Pino played on it.
To open the final 1/3rd of the album, John covers Jimi Hendrix's "Bold as Love." Because he can. And if any of you saw his sick Trio rendition on the Tsunami-Relief Telethon, you know why. The guitar work is naturally fantastic, but he really brings it home with the key change and closing chorus - overall very well done. He returns to Earth but not quite consciousness on "Dreaming With A Broken Heart," which has a simple, longing musical quality that matches the lyrics, and (like just about every other track) has a solid guitar solo and build of intensity that keeps the listener wishing there were more than two tracks left. "In Repair" is the barn-burner of this very, very mellow album. It keeps the emotions and candidness of the album to this point firmly in the forefront, and he saved the best guitar solo for last on this one. The album closes with a real soul-ballad, "I'm Gonna Find Another You," which comes full-circle to finish with the true-to-R&B feel that the album started with, and give a final cadence on this most-cohesive work.
One must remark upon the completeness of the work. The album is entirely complete in ways not so different from Pat Sounds, Born to Run, Sgt. Peppers and Dark Side of the Moon - from top to bottom, it's all there, it all works like it should, and there's nothing to be changed; in these ways Continuum really is the "perfect album" that John said it is. Which brings us to one more question: where does he go from here? He closes "In Repair" with the refrain "I'm in repair/I'm not together but I'm getting there." Is this just emotionally, or musically as well? I'm not going to worry about that now; it's time to listen to Continuum again and enjoy it until the next installment.
Final Thought: The packaging is as much of what completes the album as the music is. The cover art is simple and really classy, and the liner notes are filled with little gems, including original manuscript facsimiles showing his lyrical process, pictures of his rig and studio (the latter with a handwritten caption that says "*This is what my heart looks like."), and a page towards the back entitled "THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW," which is like a "Thank You" section but more meaningful and personal. Check it out - it shows what's wrong with this computerized world of unpackaged music.
He makes music BETTER September 14, 2006
Larry Diamond (Austin, TX USA)
11 out of 18 found this review helpful
Continuum is an apt title, very apt. From my first listen of Mayer I was hooked. He gets music, he is not isolated. What came before is part of him. And it is the BEST of what came before. Because of that he can build. He is a giant among young American musicians precisely because he stands on the shoulders of giants.
I am a jazz fan and it was nice to see a lot of use of horns in this album. Mayer is a jazz and blues and soul and pop and rock fan. And he listened, I bet he listened every day of his young life. And practiced and became a craftsman.
Ok enough rambling. Mayer is one of the best young guitarists out there. He keeps improving as a song-writer, and he has a good voice. Not bad for a trifecta. This album has 2 songs also found on his trio album but they are 2 of my favorites so that is forgiven. The first track is the most popish but has some very thoughtful lyrics.
Thoughtful lyrics throughout, great, GREAT guitar work, great horns, drums and bass. Thank you John for making music better and for helping me enjoy things a bit more. Thank you for ADDUNG to the world. AND for the best tribute to all of the best American musicans in the past, learning from them. Thanks for making American music a wonderful Continuum not some pop trash-heep. Keep it up.
Continuum - Best yet September 14, 2006
Jacob Rickrode (Santa Margarita, CA)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
During a time when NEW great music is few and far between and only a handful of bands are writing anything groundbreaking there in still John Mayer. I haven't heard a better album from start to finish in years. This album is his third and by far his best. You always hope the next album is as good as the last without being a copy of the last one. This is Continuum. Mayer is maturing in his music and Continuum could not be a better example of an artist pushing the envelope and setting the tone for NEW great music.
It's tough to find a bad song on here. "Stop this train" is fantastic and could be the next "Daughters". Continuum has Grammy writtin all over it. Do youself a favor and buy this album. If you are even a minor Mayer fan you will not be disappointed.
Making His Mark September 25, 2006
H TERESA K
10 out of 12 found this review helpful
This is the real thing. He is the real thing. Very original and that is quite clear no from this CD. What were some people thinking? Good show John!
Songs sung blue September 29, 2006
Amanda Richards (Georgetown, Guyana)
10 out of 12 found this review helpful
From the first bars of this CD, even an undiscerning ear can tell that this is no teeny-bopper pop music album. Having already taken home Grammy Awards for "Song of the Year" and "Best Male Pop Vocal Performance" (twice), Mayer sets his sights on new categories with this album, which is reminiscent of old-time soul and blues, with just a touch of his pop background for flavor.
The excellent guitar work makes this album even more remarkable, and Mayer proves that he has matured as an artist since his last solo studio album, "Heavier Things", in 2003. Even the mush-mouthed vocals of the past have cleared up, making the lyrics sound even more meaningful. Mayer puts a lot into this album, singing, playing the guitar, writing all but one of the songs, and even producing it, and it's obvious that he's proud of his efforts.
The first single is "Waiting for the World to Change" a soulful track where he finds his inner Curtis Mayfield, but the one that got repeat plays from me was "The Heart of Life", one of the best songs on the album. Listen also to "I Don't Trust Myself (With Loving You)" (reminds me of the Doobie Brothers); "Stop This Train"; "Bold As Love"; "I'm Gonna Find Another You"; and "In Repair" (my third favorite). Jimi Hendrix fans will also appreciate the cover of "Bold As Love".
Maturity sure sounds good on John Mayer
Amanda Richards, September 29, 2006
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