Frogtoon Music

Heavier Things (Album) by John Mayer

Artist Biography For John Mayer

John Clayton Mayer Was Born October 16 1977 In Fairfield Connecticut USA And Started Playing Guitar At 13 After Being Inspired By A Stevie Ray Vaughan Tape His Neighbor Gave Him. In 1998 He Moved To Atlanta Georgia Where He Refined His Skills And Gained A Following. In 2003 He Won The Grammy Award For Best Male Pop Vocal Performance For The 2002 Single "Your Body Is A Wonderland" From The Album Room For Squares. In February 2005 He Was Awarded The Song Of The Year Grammy For His Song Daughters Which He Composed While In The Shower From The Album Heavier Things. In Winning The Award He Beat Out Such Contenders As Alicia Keys And Kanye West. He Dedicated This Award To His Grandmother Annie Hoffman Who Died In May 2004. He Also Won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance For Which Elvis Costello Prince And Seal Were Also Nominated. In 2007 John Won 2 Grammys One For Best Male Pop Vocal Performance For The Song "Waiting On The World To Change " And Also Best Pop Vocal Album For His Album Continuum. To Date Mayer Has Toured With Many Groups Including Maroon 5 Guster Counting Crows The Wallflowers Teitur Ben Folds And Sheryl Crow. In 2004 Mayer Worked With Hip Hop Artist And Producer Kanye West Appearing Both On Go And Kanye West's Bittersweet Released In The Summer Of 2007 As An ITunes Pre-Order Bonus Track To The Album Graduation And Received Praise From Rap Heavyweights Like Jay-Z And Nelly. When Asked About His Ubiquitous Presence In The Hip Hop Community He Said "It's Not Music Out There Right Now. That's Why To Me Hip-Hop Is Where Rock Used To Be." It Was Around This Time That He Began Hinting At A Change In His Musical Interests Announcing That He Was "closing Up Shop On Acoustic Sensitivity." In 2005 He Began A String Of Collaborations With Various Blues Artists Including Buddy Guy BB King Eric Clapton And Jazz Artist John Scofield. He Also Toured With The Legendary Jazz Pianist Herbie Hancock Which Included A Show At The Bonnaroo Music Festival In Manchester Tennessee. Although Mayer Has Maintained A Reputation For Being A Sensitive Singer-Songwriter He Is Also An Accomplished Guitarist Influenced By The Likes Of Jimi Hendrix Stevie Ray Vaughan Eric Clapton Buddy Guy Freddie King And B.B. King. In This Regard He Has Released An Album With His Band The John Mayer Trio Try! Which Features A Blues-Rock Style Reminiscent Of Jimi Hendrix. In September 2006 Mayer Released His Third Studio Album Continuum. The Album Written And Produced Exclusively By Mayer With The Help Of Steve Jordan From The John Mayer Trio Is A Culmination Of Mayer's Growth As An Artist And Continues With The Blues-Rock Style That He Began To Flirt With On Try!. Also Notable Is John Mayer's Various Adaptations In Style. He Always Maintained A Blues Tone He Introduced A Rockier Edge. However In Continuum He Adopts A Calmer Genre Returning To His Previous Styles. On November 17 2009 Mayer's Fourth Studio Album Battle Studies Was Released And Debuted At Number One On The U.S. Billboard 200 Album Chart. The Album Consists Of 11 Tracks With A Total Time Of 45 Minutes. The First Single From The Album "Who Says" Was Released On September 24 2009 In Advance Of Album And Was Followed On October 19 By The Single "Heartbreak Warfare" And The Single "Half Of My Heart" Released On June 21 2010. Despite The Album's Commercial Success Critics Were Mixed With Their Praise While Some Reviews Were Glowing Calling It His "most Adventurous" Others Called The Album "safe" And Noted That "Mayer The Singer-Songwriter And Mayer The Man About Town Sometimes Seem Disconnected Like They Don't Even Belong In The Same Body. Following His Recovery From Vocal Surgery Mayer Returned To The Studio. On June 18 2013 Mayer Announced From His Facebook Page That His Sixth Album Paradise Valley Would Be Released On August 13 2013. On The Same Day He Released A Lyric Video For The New Album's First Single "Paper Doll" On His YouTube Page. The Release Date Was Later Changed To August 20 2013. "Who You Love" Featuring Katy Perry Followed As The Album's Third Single And A Music Video Was Released On December 17 2013 For The Song. The Album Which Also Includes A Collaboration With Frank Ocean Was Met With Positive Reviews From Music Critics. Mayer Embarked On A Tour His First In Three Years In Support Of Born And Raised And Paradise Valley. The American Leg Of The Tour Ran From July To December 2013 With Interscope Recording Artist Phillip Phillips Serving As Support Act. The Tour Will Visit Australia In April 2014.

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Frogtoon Music Album Info: Heavier Things

Heavier Things Is The Second Major Label Studio Album By Singer-Songwriter/guitarist John Mayer Released In 2003. Since His Successful Debut Album 2001's Room For Squares Mayer Had Gained Popularity As A Creative And Thoughtful Songwriter And This Characteristic Shines Through On Heavier Things. The Title Of The Album Itself Is A Subtle Response To Certain Criticism Of Mayer's Music. The Album Debuted At Number One On The U.S. Billboard 200 Chart Selling 317 000 Copies In Its First Week. Despite Some Negative Criticism Towards Mayer's Songwriting Heavier Things Received Generally Positive Reviews From Music Critics. Background Mayer Felt He Could Be More Relaxed And Focus More On His Art While Making Heavier Things. With Jack Joseph Puig As Producer Loops And Horns Were More Prominently Featured. Mayer Took Greater Control Of The Creative Side With This Album Much Of The Album Was Recorded In His New York City Apartment. He Also Got Final Approval On All Radio-Edits. Columbia Records Used A Conservative Marketing Campaign To Promote The Album. Columbia Records Group President Will Botwin Says. "We Think We're Being Smart. It's A Long-Term Project. We Understand What We're Creating Is A Career. Effectively That's The Message Keep The Hype At Bay." In Keeping With That Gameplan The Album's First Single "Bigger Than My Body" Only Went To Radio A Few Weeks Before The Album's Release Promotional Broadcasts Of The Album Were Limited To MTV.Com And Mayer's Official Site Both Of Whom Began Streaming The Complete Album The September 2 Before Its Release. Scheduled Television Appearances Included Saturday Night Live On Oct. 4 And Several Late Shows.Columbia Records Thought It Was Important To Put Mayer In Talk Show-Type Scenarios Before The Album Release To Help Bring Focus To His Art And To His Singer/songwriter Career To Steer Away From The Fame And Celebrity Hype. Singles Despite Being "delayed" On The Radio The Lead Single "Bigger Than My Body" Gained Commercial And Critical Success. "Clarity" Was The Second Single Released From Heavier Things. Although The Song Usually Receives Rare Radioplay It Is One Of Mayer's Fan Favorites And Is Normally Performed At Mayer's Concerts. The Song Received Very Positive Reviews From Critics Mostly Being Praised For Its Relaxing Style And Beat. "Daughters" Was The Last Single Released From Heavier Things. The Song Has Become A Huge Commercial Success And Has Received Largely Positive Reviews Many Critics Have Hailed The Song As Mayer's Best Yet. Upon Its Release The Album Received Generally Positive Reviews From Music Critics It Holds An Aggregate Score Of 67/100 At Metacritic. Billboard Magazine Stated That It "firmly Establishes Him As A Legitimate--Albeit Still Puppy-Eyed--Singer/songwriter." Chicago Tribune Writer Allison Stewart Gave The Album A Favorable Review And Wrote That Mayer " Crafted A Sturdy Soulful Pop Album That Credibly Expands Upon — But Never Abandons — His Core Sound". Despite Writing That "his Self-Conscious Lyrics Can Get In The Way" Russell Baillie Of The New Zealand Herald Praised Mayer's Musicianship And Gave The Album 4 Out Of 5 Stars. Rolling Stone Magazine's James Hunter Called Heavier Things An "equally Available Yet More Sophisticated Album" Than Room For Squares. In His Own Review For Esquire Mayer Gave The Album A "B Minus" Adding "Am I The Only One Who Finds This Record Creepy To Make Out To?" Spin Said "Sadly Mayer's Idea Of A Good Time Involves Hiring Jazz Musicians To Make Himself Sound Like '80s James Taylor. Accolades Mayer Earned His First Number-One Single With "Daughters" As Well As A 2005 Grammy For Song Of The Year Beating Out Fellow Contenders Alicia Keys And Kanye West. He Dedicated The Award To His Grandmother Annie Hoffman Who Died In May 2004. He Also Won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance Beating Elvis Costello Prince And Seal For The Award. At The 37th Annual Songwriters Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony In 2006 Mayer Was Honored With The Hal David Starlight Award. Track Listing All Tracks Written By John Mayer Except Where Noted. No. Title Length
1. "Clarity" 4 28
2. "Bigger Than My Body" 4 26
3. "Something's Missing" 5 04
4. "New Deep" 4 07
5. "Come Back To Bed" 5 23
6. "Home Life" Mayer David LaBruyere 4 14
7. "Split Screen Sadness" 5 06
8. "Daughters" 3 58
9. "Only Heart" 3 52
10. "Wheel" 5 33 Touring Beginning On July 2 2004 Mayer Went On A 42-Date Tour With Maroon 5.
Personnel Main Musicians John Mayer – Vocals On All Tracks Guitars On All Tracks David LaBruyere – Bass On All Tracks Except 8 Jamie Muhoberac – Keyboards On All Tracks Except 9 Lenny Castro – Percussion On All Tracks Except 6 9 And 10 Additional Musicians Matt Chamberlain – Drums On Tracks 1 2 3 6 And 10 Steve Jordan – Drums On Tracks 3 4 And 5 Greg Leisz – Lap Steel Guitar On Tracks 2 And 5 Questlove – Drums On Track 1 Roy Hargrove – Trumpet On Track 1 Michael Chaves – Guitar On Track 3 Dan Higgins – Saxophone On Track 5 Jerry Hey – Trumpet On Track 5 Leroy – Programming On Track 7 J. J. Johnson – Drums On Track 9 Additional Personnel John Mayer – Art Direction Jack Joseph Puig – Production Mixing Recording Chad Franscoviak – Engineering Ross Petersen – Additional Engineering Chris Steffen – Additional Engineering Lars Fox – Digital Engineering Bob Ludwig – Mastering Ames Design – Graphic Design Danny Clinch – Photography Chapman Baehler – Album Cover Photography
References Hilburn Robert September 18 2003 . "'Heavier Things' Rises To The Top". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 30 2012.
Stewart Allison. "RECORDINGS". Chicago Tribune 3. September 15 2003.
Caulfield Keith. "John Mayer Snares No. 1 On Busy Billboard 200". Billboard.Com. November 25 2009
Newman Melinda Whitmire Margo. 2003-09-13 "John Mayer Gets Heavy". Billboard. 115 37 1-14
Eliscu Jenny 2003-11-27 "Songs In The Key Of Mayer". Rolling Stone. 936 52-56
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Erlewine Stephen Thomas. "Heavier Things - John Mayer". Allmusic. Retrieved On 2009-12-29.
Powers Ann. "John Mayer Heavier Things". Blender. Retrieved On 2009-12-29. Archived December 13 2004 At The Wayback Machine.
Sinclair Tom 2003-09-12 . "Heavier Things Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved On 2009-12-29.
Hilburn Robert 2003-09-07 . "Mayer's 'Heavier Things' Not Quite Weighty Enough". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved On 2009-12-29.
MacNeil Jason 2003-12-02 . "John Mayer Heavier Things". PopMatters. Retrieved On 2009-12-29.
"Critic Reviews For Heavier Things". Metacritic. CNET Networks Inc. Retrieved September 17 2009.
Christgau Robert. "CG John Mayer". RobertChristgau.Com. Retrieved 2013-03-24.
Hunter James 2003-09-09 . "Heavier Things". Rolling Stone. Retrieved On 2009-12-29.
Blanford Roxanne 2003-09-10 . "John Mayer Heavier Things". Slant Magazine. Retrieved On 2009-12-29.
Gardner Elysa 2003-09-08 . "Mayer's 'Heavier Things' Has Artistic Heft". USA Today. Retrieved On 2009-12-29.
Ault Susanne Paoletta Michael 2003-09-13 "Heavier Things". Billboard. 115 37 33
Baillie Russell. "John Mayer Heavier Things". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved On 2009-12-29.
Mayer John June 2004 "THE RESIDENT ROCK STAR". Esquire. 141 6 48 2006 . John Mayer SongWritersHallofFame.Org. Retrieved On September 29 2006.
Ault Susanne May 1 2004 "Mayer Hits Groove On The Road". Billboard. 116 18 26
"RIAA Gold And Platinum Database Search". Retrieved 2009-12-14.

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