Continuum

Most of these songs sound like they would work well during the emotional climax of a Hallmark movie.

I don't really have any qualms with John Mayer, but I've never understood the people that paint him as some sort of genius guitarist. This album might as well have been Gravity and 45 minutes of songs that sound like but are not as good as Gravity. 7/10

A clear should-have-been in the 1001 list. Mayer's pinnacle as an artist and one of great albums of the 00's

I want to use this space to somewhat publicly apologize to Mr Mayer. I thought I knew all I needed to because room for squares came out in the Kid A/Amnesiac era and around the same time as Blueprint. And I was in college. My mistake because it made me miss this album. He’s got tunes on here and it’s really well produced.

While his stuff isn't really my bag, it feels like a necessary addition.

John Mayer will always in my head be like "that guy my aunt listened to in the early 2000s" He's very fine and very safe and I struggle to think of anything negative to say about his music.

Mayers music will go with almost any mood. It basically blends in with whatever it is you are doing. Pleasant to the ear and yet pushing no boundary whatsoever. The guy has a good voice: yes. The guy can play guitar: yes. Does he play it on the safe side? Oh yes.

Transported back to mid 00s pop radio, and not in a good way.

Bland pop that sounds like bad Christian rock

Another baffling omission from the list. Love him or hate him, John Mayer has had a massive impact on guitar music since his debut. I've seen him live numerous times and the guy knows how to play. I think he did something smart with his career which is play the super poppy stuff early on and make all the money and now just plays whatever he wants. Dude is living the guitar life. This is a fantastic album. So many big hits that have endured. I've been a fan for a long time and will continue to listen to this. My personal rating: 5/5 My rating relative to the list: 5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Absolutely yes.

It’s really interesting to hear this album now because I’m honestly impressed this bluesy pop album heavily inspired by Hendrix and SRV was as massively popular as it was in the mid-2000s. Of course elements of this album are dated, but when John Mayer lays on the soul and blues, he does it with such fantastic phrasing; he never overplays despite his insane guitar skills. His slower more contemplative songs are great as well and his cover of ‘Bold As Love’ is phenomenal. I was really into this album as a young guitarist and I’m glad to see that it still holds up.

I feel like this is just solid enough to secure 4 stars. It is a consistently good record (if rather samey), and it even manages a few upward spikes into greatness.

7/10. Yeah, this was a good album, and with enough prominent songs on it that I am surprised that it didn't make the list. Or I would be surprised if I was a naive baby who thought that albums released after the 1st edition of the book in 2005 were likely to be included in subsequent revisions.

John Mayer is cool. 3/5.

The guitar has a funny history, from sharing a body with instruments handcrafted to resonate against human flesh to electric squeal at the limits and back again. Sympathetic strings reduced to simple diagrams and mass-production, well-loved and impossible to escape. It's no surprise that Continuum traffics in natural metaphors. Mayer is not interested in the border with the unmusical, but with success elsewhere and older. The result is a bit plastic, still with heart: A thoroughly modern and easy album, hit fakeouts with twins ultimately not annoying.

Imagine the worst person you know made an album and other people liked it. Good for them, but I'd rather not hear it again.

The bot in Barbie where Ken says "I want to play guitar at you". This is what this whole album felt like. Not the joke. The actual experience of an incredibly earnest dude bro doing that while making uncomfortable eye contact the whole time. I can absolutely see why it would be popular, but for me it's my worst nightmare.

This is one of John's best. Haters are suspicious Swifties so can be safely ignored. Anyone suggesting he's not a great guitarist can also be ignored. Love this album.

Rating: 9/10 Best songs: Waiting on the world to change, Belief, Vultures, Slow dancing in a burning room, Bold as love, In repair

Calssique John Mayer. Super bon couté 100x

Great album!

Guys I regret to inform you that I liked this

Rock. Blues

Album was a good fit for my mood yesterday. Thanks for suggesting.

Hey Siri, play Dear John by Taylor Swift

Good as background music

Not my personal taste, but pleasant listen more or less

I like this best when Mayer is rocking out a little, like on Bold as Love. The more polished, smooth stuff that makes up most of the album is good but a little bland. 3 stars.

Okay I can get into some John Mayer now

Although I have a weakness for John Mayer, I can't help but think that it is always so neat and tidy and no sharp edges. That's also the case with this album.

I would listen to any of this any time without complaint. I do think he puts his limitations on display in the cover of Bold as Love. In spite of having by many measures a better overall signing voice, he just can't match the emotion and subtle inflection Hendrix brought to the original. Likewise Mayer's perfectly competent, serviceable lyrics don't have anything to match the wild imagination of Anger's "shiny metallic purple armor". Very good, but a little basic.

Offensive in it’s blandness!

Good recommendation. I don't think I've ever heard such a coherent album outside of the 1970s; it never strays from the path but it also never becomes boring.

What an album, there isn’t a bad track on it. John Mayer is a very underrated artist, has a bit of a male Taylor Swift/Adele in that his music is based upon personal relationships and he has courted a bit of bad press as a result. Musically it’s a great album, very mellow and easy on the ear, a bit C&W but that’s his background so it’s to be expected. It’s on my heavy rotation playlist and is enjoyed frequently. 5/5

Two big classics for me in a row, what a treat! This is definitely my favorite John Mayer album. I've been a fan since childhood, and his older stuff really throws me back to the days of playing Tony Hawk. This one felt a bit more mature than previous projects, and some forays into blues/rock territory that suggested he was more than just the "body is a wonderland" pop guy. It's always been a favorite of mine, including well before I was a big music head, so it holds a special place in my heart. Relistening to this one this time around, "Stop This Train" actually made me cry on my commute to work. Beautiful, beautiful stuff. If you like that side of him, check out Born & Raised as well. This one's another five-star for me, fight me. Favorite tracks: Everything but "In Repair." Album art: Probably the weakest aspect to this album, the plain grey cover. There's a deluxe release (and it's the vinyl version I have) that's a picture of his face, but the sleeve is completely white and you can't even see it. Get it together John! 5/5

I bought Room for Squares when it came out, and it was a favorite album of the time. I really enjoyed listening to this one!

I didn’t think I had room for John Mayer in my ears. I was mistaken…

John Mayer is a very interesting person to me because I perceive him as a total cultural pariah despite not knowing of anything bad he did because it was before my time. Like his controversies page on Wikipedia isn’t even that bad in this age of Trump. Just a fascinating example of cancel culture before that was really a thing I guess. Anyway this album rocks and I love this type of blues pop stuff in general. Gravity is an all time song for me whenever I’m sad and the rest of it is like a massage for my inner ear.

This is really easy to approach and enjoy. What stands out the most is the slow blues guitar feel in many of the tracks that seems to perfectly capture the emotion of the song and carry it forward. It doesn’t need to be flashy or fast, but just hits the vibe and elevates the song. Beliefs, Gravity, Slow Dancing and Bold as Love as all standouts though the album is really strong from start to finish.

Yeeees 5

I really enjoy being exposed to different culture's music through this list. This one stands out as totally new and modern and it's not until read the Wiki that you learn this came out in 1973?! Amazing. 4/5

Oh, this is the guiltiest of pleasures and the truest normie-core imaginable, though Room for Squares (which one forgot or maybe never knew was named after a classic old jazz album) might be even more pleasurable (and thus guiltier still). One thinks the debut is the better record, however trolling it was – the lyrics are way underrated and the songs are all well constructed and catchy by default. (Might Ric Ocasek be a comp?) JM's biggest sin may have been making it look too easy (and having too much fun , too) – and thus he became too easy a target for the hatred of hipsters and contempt of cool hunters. One felt the effects personally, never sharing, in NYC days, one's affinity for this with any of one's music-snob friends. One gets the middlling-poppy-schlocky criticism and no doubt he got in hs own way tabloidwise and celebritywise. But sustaining such high-level craft and quality in the mainstream channel is not as easy as it looks. Continuum solid+ top to bottom, and goes fairly deep (if deceptively so), in tasteful/spiffy blues rock and easily accessible and assidiously upbeat pop-rock – even the sad songs are sorta fun. It's weird that he shreds quite a bit less than one would expect, just distinct, brief and well-judged solos, as if he's afraid he might scare a certain segment of listeners off. "Gravity" is a great song. The Hendrix cover also excellent. So too "In Repair." Heavier Things also a solid record and one quite enjoys Sob Rock's homage to Tunnel of Love and Bruce Hornsby. This is a bold and provoactive choice -- thanks, recommender. Hadn't listened to JM in forevs and totally enjoyed the stroll through the clean, safe, well-lighted neighborhood of his discography.

Pop rock, blues rock, blue-eyed soul, soft rock. Bien. He estado después escuchando más de él, y está bien. Le iba a dar un 3, pero ¡venga!, le doy un 4.

I never really got the John Mayer hype to be honest. Like I can appreciate that he is a very talented musician and can write appealing music but it has never clicked with me. Perfectly pleasant though

I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. Definitely one I'll put on again. I thought it was going to be really lame but it was great

Manages to live in the sweet spot of just interesting enough. Gravity is a great song but there's lots else to like too.

For the first 2 or 3 minutes I was fully on board for being a massive John Mayer fan. The album soon settled down into being “pleasantly boring” and my enthusiasm waned pretty quickly. It’s still “very nice” and I struggle to find anything wrong with it. It’s maybe just a little bit lame?

Awesome inclusion! My favorite Mayer album. I certainly enjoy every song on here and this captured a moment in time when we had recently moved to Colorado and we had used a few songs on here for a “go to sleep” cd I had made or listening to it in the car driving in the snow. There is a lot of depth to the songs but I’ve always seen it as a very light album. Truly something you could fall asleep to. It’s comforting despite some of the topics being about less comfortable subjects.

If you take some of the weird John Mayer persona out of the equation, this is a really solid blues/rock album. The licks rival those of Buddy Guy, Carlos Santana and Albert King.

A neat album. Modern throwback to clean electric guitar sounds with quite a few great tracks. The Heart of Life is a great, somber track.

I never thought much of John Mayer until after I waded through all of the sludge in this list.

Blue-eyed soul for me lands on a continuum between Nick Carter and Hall & Oates. This disc is in between those extremes.

All I kept thinking is that this is a very enjoyable album, albeit not very interesting. That's fine. Some albums are just there to be enjoyed. They don't need to be groundbreaking. But I do question whether this could survive the test of time. How many people will know who John Mayer was 30 years from now? There are surely other artists sound similar but are more noteworthy.

Bland mush, but popular bland mush. I didn't like it, but John Mayer is a force in the music industry. 4/5 as a candidate for the list. 2/5 as an album.

It was fine whatever

Solid stuff. Nice add.

Rainy Day singer/songwriter. Drags a bit, but passes the time just fine.

This guy could be a real fucker but chooses to be a pop sensation instead. Millions of dollars vs my personal respect? The choice should be easy but oh well... His voice is so god damn uninspiring, I am actively LOSING inspiration. Consider staying fucking quiet?

Pop rock, blues rock, blue-eyed soul, soft rock. Ni fu ni fa.

“Waiting on the world to change” and “gravity” were some of the standout songs. While he’s not my style of music, I can appreciate his musicianship. Solid 3

Nice enough but lacks any stand out tracks.

look, no offense to whoever put this album on here, but I feel like John Mayer is just Marvin Gaye for white people; like what Elvis Presley is to Chuck Barry, just capitalizing on a good sound for an audience who doesn’t want the real deal I think a lot of my resentment for this album is based on the fact that my mom is a diehard Mayer fan and I grew up listening to all of these songs to a nauseating degree look, I don’t hate it, I’d even say it’s fairly well made, but there is an inherent resentment that might not be all that deserved, but I’m sticking to it - 5/10

For whatever reason his music has never connected with me. It isn’t love, it isn’t hate, it’s just indifference. With this listen that overall feeling didn’t change but I did gain and appreciation for how well played and recorded his music is. He is clearly a great musician and it’s nice music to have on. It just doesn’t grab me on an emotional level. I can see how it would for others.

Started very promising, ended as usual. John Mayer is a great songwriter when it comes to one, singular song. As soon as you listen to two or more, you're going down. Too sweet and a bit boring for me.

I have never understood why he is lionised as some sort of guitar genius. He’s good but the songs all blend together and nothing grabs me

Thought i would really dislike. But it's a steady enjoyable ride with great production. His voice is good. It feels a little ti nice at times....and a bit dull at time. I may be a little harsh.

Reasonable, but uninspiring. Sure, the guitar work is faultless, but how can faultless keep you interested?

As expected, some great guitar work, but the songs generally are quite middle of the road for most of the time

May the 1st, 2025 HL: “Waiting on the World to Change”, “Gravity”, “The Heart of Life”, “In Repair” There are many albums I want to like more than I do, but much fewer ones that I want to hate more than I do. Continuum belongs in the second category. Good job John Mayer 👍 I’ve come a long way from dreading to hear that opening track at my grocery store job 3.5

I can't help but find this clean sanitised music for dinner parties. The biggie award winning song is a ringer for "Days like this" by Van Morrison. Plus I can't move away from that scene in Pitch perfect where they sang off under the heading "I dated John Mayer" Sorry John.

Went into this album ready to hate, but I can’t lie… I was grooving to the songs

It was fine

Middle of the road fare

I just found this one to be the musical equivalent of Pizza Express. It was good enough, but I wouldn't wanrt to eat there all the time.

It was pleasant enough but never seemed to reach a crescendo. Like a soul version of a boyband.

I’ve just never really clicked with Mayer’s music. Great guitar player and the production is solid but his songwriting is just a bit bland

Yawnnn

Don’t think Iv intentionally ever listened to John Mayer before, to be honest this isn’t bad, reminds me a bit of van Morrison very easy listening, just not an album I’ll ever rush back to due to my personal taste.

An ok album with a few highlights. John Mayer is a fabulous guitar player and writes decent songs. If only he would not always stay within the lines.

Quick, fun story: In high school, someone decided to sing "Your Body Is A Wonderland" to his crush at a dance. It... didn't work. I bet you he still wakes up in a cold sweat from that. I hope he feels okay about it. Anyway. I don't hate John Mayer, but it is frustrating knowing he's a fantastic guitarist that people only know for his pop stuff. Also, that his pop stuff isn't the greatest. This record attempts to tackle some bigger topics (some "Heavier Things", eh?), like on lead single "Waiting On The World to Change", which is fine, if... nothing special, lyrically. Honestly, the best moments on the record are when Mayer flexes his SRV-style, Clapton-style chops. Not every lyric is a clunker, but a good portion of them are. Musically, it gels well. It's well-produced. It's just not changing my world. Favorite tracks: "Vultures", "Slow Dancing In a Burning Room", "Dreaming With a Broken Heart"

Not for me...

It was ok

Pleasant indie singer songwriter fare. But of a chilled Jack Johnson vibe in places. Rating: 3 Playlist track: The Heart of Life Date listened: 26/09/24

This album in 06 was pretty huge. John Mayer was able to combine beautiful guitar work with pretty simple pop music. None of it is that deep, breakup songs. Love songs anti ware songs but it’s done in a simple and tasteful way that can enjoyed today. Overall this is a solid album and a classic from the 00s. 7.5/10

Didn't really cause me to have any emotions

Pop rock, blues rock, blue-eyed soul, soft rock. Ni fu ni fa.

Not quite my thing, but I agree that this should have made the original list just based on how ubiquitous and popular John Mayer was at that point in time. Affable, easygoing and well-produced, with some highly listenable singles. The Hendrix cover was a valiant but bloodless effort, which would have been best left as an outtake. Fave Songs: Slow Dancing in a Burning Room, Belief, Waiting on the World to Change, Gravity, Stop This Train

Pleasant and fine. Far from a must listen, but nice.

Tame, inoffensive well sung, jazz rock guitar playing vaguely reminiscent of Steely Dan without the bite, but pleasing nonetheless.

No thanks lol, but I'll give it a 3 cause he seems like a cool guy

John Mayer had a moment in the early 2000s that completely blew his celebrity out of perspective. Listening to his stuff two decades on, you really start to wonder what was so great about him.

I mean, it’s John Mayer. It’s not going to be good, is it? The only song I recognize from the track listing is “Waiting on the World to Change,” which I guess is pretty inoffensive. I think John Mayer is talented, but I’m not really expecting this album to be my cup of tea. Continuum wasn’t a bad album, but it certainly wasn’t my speed. For someone who knows his way around a guitar, I was disappointed that this album didn’t really take any risks or do anything exciting. Most of these songs felt like things that are perfectly safe for a doctor’s waiting room or Starbucks, and that was pretty disappointing. There were some flashes of brilliance on this album though: a groovy bass line here, some nice horn playing there, but as is the nature of a flash, they were gone pretty quickly, and I was left with generic guitar strumming and singing. As much as this album wasn’t for me, I think today was the first time that I’d paid attention to the lyrics for “Waiting on the World to Change,” and I’d never noticed that they had a twinge of social commentary to them. When it comes to the lyrics, I thought the closing lines to “Belief” were a bit more effective in terms of social commentary, but it was interesting to notice. But despite this album’s solid production and pleasant arrangements, it just didn’t wow or excite me.

I'm on the fence with this one. Yeah, so the guy is a talented guitarist, but beside that I'm not really into his whole schtick. He's a straight, white guy with an acoustic guitar. There are literally millions of these kind of guys doing this exact thing. There's not really anything that interesting about it. It's bland and inoffensive, so is it really something I have to listen to before I die? Or have I heard this so many times before that it doesn't even register. Meh....

I knew a guy who worked with John before he was famous. One day my friend brings his girlfriend to work and at some point in the day John grabs her ass. On a personal level, I think John Mayer is an asshole and I really don’t like it when one of the numerous lists I proscribe to recommends him to me. On a talent level. This guy has a plastic, paint by numbers voice. Paired with his good guitar skills and his good looks, you get a guy who is overconfident in his abilities to deliver good songwriting and lyrics. The Shawn Mendes of the 2000s for those of you still reading that weren’t alive when the towers fell. I don’t get anything interesting from him. I don’t feel anything, maybe annoyance? He just is not able to pull off the swagger he’s attempting. Sorry to the submitter for this overly hateful review. I’m glad you can enjoy this dude. 2/5

The man has hits, but he's so boring

Not a huge fan of this guy’s voice/vocal affectations, he’s a pretty good, technical guitar player, though. This first track sounds *a lot* like Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing” - to the point of “Marvin Gaye should probably get a writing credit on this one”. When this record gets soulful or funky, it’s in a very safe, Steely Dan-ish way, so ultimately, it ends up feeling kind of sterile and not very engaging. They’re kind of like fruit from the same adult-contemporary tree, if you will. I disliked that in the cover of “Bold as Love”, he inserted a major chord change into the chorus, which took a great (and underrated) song and made it feel hokey. His soloing on the song also feels a little too busy and lacking the visceral emotion and energy of Hendrix’s original. I feel like this record probably could’ve/should’ve been included in the main list, but its lack of inclusion won’t sway my rating here.

ewwwwwwwwwww. My issues with John Mayer are many, the first of which is his "whaaaaaaaaawnnn" delivery. This album was the high water mark for camp fire guitar players.

Soft Rock for people who think Jack Johnson is too edgy.

I have mixed feelings about John Mayer. Even though I am not a specialist in guitars or guitarists, I understand when I see people praising him for his talent, so why can I not see any of this talent in his songs? They are so generic and bland that I only remember him when I see someone else talking about him, like now on the list.

John Mater, soft rock terrorist, seems content to employ his admittedly impressive guitar skills to make middling music for the masses. He's like U2, except they're sex jams for straight white couples who only do missionary and finish after 5 pumps. I don't care how sweet his hooks are, he's a damn liability to the integrity of popular music. Somebody grab him before he makes another album, dammit! Quick!! CONTENDER FOR THE LIST: We can do without.