MUSIC REVIEWS

John Mayer's Continuum
By R. A. Pearson

John Mayer's Continuum, released in September 2006, received five Grammy nominations and two Grammy Awards for the John Mayer Trio. The song "Waiting For the World to Change" is the centerpiece of the CD; however, other songs such as "Try," "Vultures," "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room," and the bluesy "Gravity" give the CD a tremendous buoyancy in the sea of music listlessness. Continuum is a tremendous improvement over Mayer's Room For Squares and shows a more mature songwriting and arranging by the artist.

Mayer is joined on the CD by Pino Palladino on bass and Steve Jordan on drums, but Continuum goes beyond a JMT. Other notable musicians contribute to the CD such as guitarists Ben Harper, Charlie Hunter, and James Valentine (from Maroon 5), jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove and bassist Willie Weeks. While the CD was produced by Mayer and the other members of the JMT the music is more subtle than a JMT release, more laid back, more backbeat. If you have not heard this CD, you need to.

John Mellencamp released a new CD this year, his first in five years. The CD is entitled Freedom's Road and is classic Mellencamp. The CD includes the hit songs "Our Country," "The Americans," "Someday" and Mellencamp's classic heart-breaking sagas of a broken middle America in "Ghost Towns Along the Highway," and "Rural Route." He delivers a blistering political commentary on a hidden bonus track entitled "Rodeo Clown," and he brings on 60s and 70s folk singer and political activist Joan Baez for a duet on the emotional protest ballad "Jim Crow." Freedom's Road is a reminder of the John Mellencamp of the 1980s. This is a great CD.

Mellencamp performed for wounded service personnel at Walter Reed Army Medical Center on April 27 and delivered a trademark tribute to the wounded soldiers at the hospital. About 200 wounded soldiers, staff, and family members attended the event, providing a small but energetic crowd. His hour-long performance included "Small Town," "Little Pink Houses," "Jack and Diane," as well as songs from his current "Freedom's Road" CD. His finale "Hurts So Good" brought the crowd to its feet. However, the brass at Walter Reed would not let Joan Baez, who was scheduled to appear with Mellencamp, perform at the event.

Somehow this editor does not see how a wounded American veteran that lost an arm or leg in the 'Bush wars' would be hurt by listening to "Stewball," "Diamonds and Rust," "Gulf Winds" (my personal favorite Joan Baez song), or "Joe Hill." But I guess the 'Copper Bosses' still have a long reach.

John Mellencamp also has a new 37 song greatest hits CD out entitled Words & Music. It comes with a DVD for video play.

Indie artist Elliott Smith's posthumous release New Moon is a two CD, 24-song compilation put together by his Portland, Oregon, producer and pal Larry Crane. The songs are mainly house-recorded demos Crane has woven into a retrospective of Smith's music. Many of the songs feature a simple acoustic guitar, Smith's unique vocal style, and his lyrics and melodies. New Moon is a CD that will touch the listener in an unusual fashion, and it is the last we will hear from Smith, an artist who died way before his time.

Editor's note: Elliott Smith died in October 2003 at the age of 34. He died of two stab wounds to the chest. The coroner indicated that the death could have been suicide. The CD From a Basement on a Hill released in 2004 was also mixed and released posthumously. His other CDs include Roman Candle, XO, and Either/Or.

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