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Written by Zachary Tham
Photo source: The Vanderbilt Hustler
Release date: July 16, 2021
Genre: Pop rock / soft rock
Producers: Chad Franscoviak, John Mayer, No I.D., and Don Was
Label: Columbia Records
Duration: 38 minutes, 27 seconds
" More soft than sob, but its top-notch production and instrumentation is what makes it enjoyable."
Firstly, I’d like to thank the previous album reviewer, Jayden Loh
(aw thanks), for inspiring me to finally write a “real” music review for the first time. After reading his in-depth review of Olivia Rodrigo's debut album, I felt compelled to finally write a review of the new John Mayer album, quirkily titled Sob Rock, as he is, in fact, an artist I’ve been following since my childhood days, and because I’ve been curious about this album and how it would rank amongst his other albums.
In case you don’t know who John Mayer is, he is a singer-songwriter and guitarist famous for his past relationships with artists such as Taylor Swift and Katy Perry. He also possesses a unique style of guitar-playing, which is influenced by the blues genre. He is also known as the lead guitarist and one of the vocalists of Dead & Company, which is the successor of the well-respected jam band the Grateful Dead. He has also worked with artists such as Ed Sheeran, Frank Ocean, and Taylor Swift, amongst many others. His past albums were well-received by critics, and songs across all of them were turned into classics.
After his previous album, The Search for Everything, which was a really good contemplative album about the end of a relationship, I wasn’t really expecting him to drop an album which will tackle soft rock, a genre known for cheesy love songs and ballads that are on constant rotation on Lite FM (a Malaysian radio station known for playing classics). However, this album wasn’t as cheesy as I thought it to be, nor as much sob rock as the title suggests. Instead, it felt more like a collection of sonically soothing tracks about looking back at relationship failures as well as self-discovery.
The album kicks off with the track “Last Train Home” (the title, at first thought, reminded me of a track with the same name from 1987), which resembles “Higher Love” by Steve Winwood, complete with keyboard stabs, echoing drums and Chaka Khan-like backing vocals from country singer Maren Morris. This track is coupled with Mayer’s pleas for an ex-lover to return to him despite challenges and current circumstances, which were expressed through very cookie-cutter lyrics uncharacteristic of his past music.
There were also a few standout tracks from this album as well. “New Light”, which was produced by hip-hop producer No I.D., sounds remarkably modern compared to the rest of the album thanks to its funk and electronic elements, which lend a danceable and groovy quality to it. “Why You No Love Me”, whose title seems to be a reference to the “y u no?” meme, has a country sound apparent throughout with mild wailing guitars, while coming close to the sound of 80’s soft rock musician Christopher Cross. Finally, the album’s closing track, “All I Want is to Be with You”, has a chorus which suspiciously resembles the hook of “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys as well as “Secret Garden” by Bruce Springsteen, but harkens back to his blues roots with an electrifying guitar solo that closes the track.
However, some of the songs on Sob Rock felt like sequels to past John Mayer songs that were never needed, or just lacked the emotional intensity that made his past songs “classics” in the first place. “Carry Me Away” would’ve been one of the standout tracks of the album due to its atmospheric and rich sound backed up by a drum machine from the 80’s, however, the song suffers from an anticlimactic and abrupt ending which left it sounding incomplete. “Shouldn’t Matter but It Does” has a contemplative soundscape, but it lacks his trademark blues sound as well as earnest lyricism. “Wild Blue” felt like a cross between “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac and "New Slang" by indie rock band the Shins, which I felt was unoriginal. Furthermore, “I Guess I Just Feel Like” and “Til the Right One Comes” were the aforementioned “unnecessary sequels”, with the former coming off as a sequel to his 2009 track “Who Says” with a guitar solo reminiscent of the Grateful Dead, and the latter akin to his track with Taylor Swift, “Half of My Heart” (also from 2009), with a slight bossanova rhythm lathered in the mix.
Overall, I’d say that Sob Rock isn’t a terrible album, and it isn’t a waste of your time either. Instead, it comes off as an album that attempts to be a carbon-copy of the yacht rock of the late 70’s and 80’s while being a traditional pop-rock album at the same time. Pure emotion is missing in this album, especially when it addresses the hardships of John Mayer’s love life in a seemingly nonchalant manner. However, the production from 80’s musician Don Was and the smooth instrumentation were the major silver linings of the album, which redeems it from sounding like a collection of every other forgettable soft rock song from the 80’s with bland production and overblown cheesy lyrics.
Overall Rating: 3 / 5 (ok)
A note: every thought and comment expressed in this article is the opinion of the writer. I am no professional in writing about music (again I’ll stress, this is my first time writing a “real” music review!) If you have any contrary opinions about this album or the artist, you are free to have them and to disagree with my words.
Track-list:
1. “Last Train Home”
3. “New Light”
4. “Why You No Love Me”
5. “Wild Blue”
6. “Shot in the Dark”
9. “Carry Me Away”
*Edited by Jayden Loh, written by Zachary Tam, overseen by Josiah Foo and Putera Daniel Hakeem*
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