John Mayer evokes the hushed professionalism of '80s adult contemporary rock on his eighth studio album, 2021's Sob Rock. Mayer has always worn his influences on his sleeve, often bringing together the bluesy fretwork of Eric Clapton with the yearning singer/songwriter sincerity of James Taylor. He's also made no secret of how much the sound of mid- and late-'80s pop/rock has informed his own work, and albums like 2006's Grammy-winning Continuum and 2012's Born and Raised have found him drawing upon the work of icons like ...
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John Mayer evokes the hushed professionalism of '80s adult contemporary rock on his eighth studio album, 2021's Sob Rock. Mayer has always worn his influences on his sleeve, often bringing together the bluesy fretwork of Eric Clapton with the yearning singer/songwriter sincerity of James Taylor. He's also made no secret of how much the sound of mid- and late-'80s pop/rock has informed his own work, and albums like 2006's Grammy-winning Continuum and 2012's Born and Raised have found him drawing upon the work of icons like Sting, Peter Gabriel, and Neil Young. Once again working with legendary producer Don Was (who helmed Born and Raised), Mayer has crafted an album that purposefully sounds like it could have been released anytime between 1985 and 1990. It's a gauzy, teal-toned throwback aesthetic that Mayer extends to the album's visuals, including a dusky blue LP cover photo (some released replete with vintage-appropriate "The Nice Price" sticker in bubbly Cooper font). Given the warm, analog-sounding synths of "The Last Train Home" and the Fleetwood Mac-isms of "New Light," one could easily listen to Sob Rock and imagine Mayer fitting into a group like the Traveling Wilburys or showing up at Live Aid 1985 to sit in with Dire Straits. There are several stand-out tracks here, including the aforementioned "The Last Train Home" and the Bruce Hornsby-esque "Shot in the Dark" that stick in your head in the way the best of Mayer's work often does. ~ Matt Collar, Rovi
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