John Mayer - Sob Rock
Pop – Released July 16, 2021 – 10 songs, 38 mins
*****BUZZ PICK*****
LUNDI
That smile. That damned smile. Thousands, millions of gals everywhere swooned on July 16th when John Mayer released his latest album, Sob Rock. Bastard even went as far to put his own damn mug on the cover.
Smiles can only get you so far though. He eventually had to open his mouth and sing hundreds of cheesy lines over accompanying simplistic musical compositions from the backing band. Mayer has no doubt found a niche with his music, but you have to wonder if he put any major effort into Sob Rock or if it was pressure from the label to release his first album in 4+ years. A guy of his talents should absolutely do better.
While the lyrics could have been written by a high schooler there’s no doubt Mayer’s vocals and crooning style can still hook you in. Topped by some excellent blues like guitar riffs, the album manages to shine most when Mayer shuts up.
Mayer’s vocals and guitar skills are strong enough that Sob Rock can sort of hold its own, but with the cheesy lyrics this album best serves as easy listening background music. It’s perfectly mediocre. Or in TSR terms it’s sweet. Or as my score indicates it’s nice.
Overall Rating: 6.9/10
Favourite Song: All I Want Is To Be With You
ROZ
This week's album is John Mayer’s "love letter to the 80's", Sob Rock. Let me be clear, I am very aware that I’m not in John Mayer’s target demographic whatsoever, so I did find myself going into this album with a cautious mindset - after all, the entire point of TSR is to give all of these albums a chance and dissect them based on their quality rather than the genre. In saying that, let's get to work!
First and foremost, I need to get something off my chest. There is a song on this album that has the worst chorus that I've ever heard in a song before, and yes that includes What Does The Fox Say by Ylvis. Let's have a look:
Why you no love me?
Why you no love me?
Why you no even care?
Why you no love me?
Why you no love me?
Why you no will be there?
Move over Lennon/McCartney. Move over Paul Simon. This is real songwriting. But seriously though, what the hell is going on here? “Why you no even care, why you no will be there”? Were these lyrics ghost-written by a toddler? This is a genuine question as I am literally at a loss for words and I honestly can't believe that this made the final cut. There were fourteen individuals on the production team and eleven other musicians that were involved in the making of Sob Rock - you'd think someone would say something. Good God.
Alright, I feel better now. There actually were a couple of very nice songs on this album; New Light had an energetic groove and catchy lyrics that had an almost disco-like feel (one of my favorite genres). Wild Blue ended up being my favorite on the album, a song that seemed to perfectly blend the aesthetics that they were going for with John Mayer's usual signature sound. Carry Me Away had a similar feel to it, and to me had the best vocal performance by Mr. Mayer.
Unfortunately, there's an abundance of underwhelming moments as well, the kind of songs that I'm sure Mayer superfans will lap up but ultimately left me wanting more. The most heartbreaking thing about all of this? John Mayer is a fantastic, and I mean fantastic guitar player. You can see it during his live shows (just check him shredding on Youtube). You can catch glimpses at 1:10 in Last Train Home, 2:46 in Wild Blue, 3:27 in I Guess I Just Feel Like, 1:46 in Til the Right One Comes, and 3:03 in All I Want Is to Be With You (he actually does open it up a little on the final track - if only he incorporated this more into everything else)....as you can tell I came here really itching for him to let loose on that guitar. By the end of the album I was getting very frustrated - if he's going for an "80's aesthetic" like the album's marketing has let on, then why is he playing it so damn safe? If this really is a “love letter to the 1980s”, it must have been one that was written in crayon.
I’m feeling a similar sentiment to Sob Rock as I did with Foo Fighters last outing, Medicine at Midnight. That being, when you've been around a while, there's an expectation that you're going to evolve a little bit and not just settle for being the famous musician worth 70 million dollars who writes somber lyrics about nameless, faceless women. Is he digging this stuff up from a real place or is he just creating a mold that any of his young fans can fit into? He didn’t seem to try anything new - hell, he didn’t even take advantage of what he already had.
Overall Rating: 5.9/10
Favorite Song: Wild Blue
REID
Johnny Mayer. Burst onto the scene in 2001 with ‘Room for Squares’ and the smash single, ‘Your Body is a Wonderland’. 20 years later, it seems he has been on all the rides and well, just hasn’t found the rush he’s looking for. Let’s give Sob Rock a go in this July 27th installment.
I really gave it an honest shot but it just wasn’t gonna happen. I tried to be subjective as he has had a handful of enjoyable songs over the years. Nope. This is flat out bad. This review was finished three days early so the album could be deleted from my phone (and memory) forever. The fact Why You No Love Me made the cut just goes to show how weak the material is. The song (along with the rest of this steaming pile) is about failed relationships and heartbreak and when asked about it, he is quoted as saying, ‘I have spoken those words for a long time in relationships. Maybe it takes 43 years to ask that question, but you still ask it in the language of a child? I’ve never written more brutal lyrics in my life’.
You’re god damn right, John. Not many have. Maybe too many drugs you are on. The only redeeming quality of the album is the odd guitar solo which would likely sound cool in a small, intimate venue. Otherwise I find it hard to sympathize with a rich, famous and handsome man with a great voice who couldn’t make it work with one of the hundreds of amazing women he’s dated. The backing vocals are trash, the quirky instruments throughout are just strange and I can only listen to him whine for so long. That one tune he opens every line with a ‘should’ contraction… just stop. Should’ve not reviewed this POS. In the words of another absolutely terrible song by Natasha Bedingfield, ‘TAAKEEE MEEE AWAAYYYYY’.
Sob Rock marks the 30th Too Sweet Review. It is undoubtedly the worst and I’ve ranked it accordingly. I predict the first overall fail. John, I (generously) award you two points and may God have mercy on your soul.
Overall Rating: 2.0/10
Favourite Song: New Light (if I must choose)