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John Mayer – Battle Studies

He could give anyone lessons in how to use that social network, beginning with:

1. Never appear to be pushing your own brand too obviously, or people will guess that your real special talent is merely an extroverted form of self-pleasuring. And ending with
2. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Anyone who witnessed Mayer publicly mocking celeb snoop Perez Hilton after the gossip blogger’s much-tweeted fisticuffs with Black Eyed Peas' Will.I.Am., - offering him advice in self-defence but refusing to add him to his list of 6 followers - will remember that lesson.
3. Practical example from the last few days: “I like shirts with hoods on them because I like the option of looking like a jackass.”

So presumably his rather pompous album title is a gently mocking thing?

Well it’s certainly gentle. Mayer is dappled ‘n drowsy and ready to sleep, and the album is full of obvious Paul Simonesque melodic turns (“All We Ever Do is Say Goodbye”, “Who Says”) and ticks along moderately, sometimes sticking so close to the middle of the musical road that he makes the very Don Henleys of music seem wildly experimental, as on “Half of my Heart”. But somehow or other, un-phenomenal as this album is, and as much as he’s ripping off Gomez’s “Charley Patton Songs” on “Do You Know Me”, Battle Studies will grow on you, if you let it, probably because it feels very sincere.

Mayer sounds like he’s genuinely rejected the trappings of celebrity, and just wants to sit in his bedroom in New York, eat Chinese food, smoke his bong and ruminate on love, which being a tricky one for him results in stories that'll make most red-blooded women want to comfort him by taking their clothes off and doing whatever he says will help.

You may recognise some of his killing-you -softly lyrics from Twitter, if you’re one of the 2,733,332 + followers, who’ve been worldwide witnesses to the development of the album’s material: “I was born in the arms of imaginary friends”.

Aw… baby… Have a gold star. Oh, what the hell. Have three.

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