Mayer's Continuum Plays it Safe

John Mayer has spent the last several years searching for his niche in the music industry. Starting off in pop/rock with his major label debut Room for Squares, he took a rather significant turn with Heavier Things, mixing acid-jazz elements with his preliminary attempts at blues/pop alchemy, but quickly shedding his pop image and creating a sound undoubtedly more true to himself. On the heels of the straight-up blues of his trio album Try!, Mayer has hit the studio again for further experimentation.

The result is Continuum, a collection of mellow, jazzy coffee-shop friendly grooves. If Heavier Things grew on you, you won't find it too hard to get into this one either. Mayer goes primarily electric yet again, and his songwriting talents shine through fairly well, as in all of his previous work. Here he tackles issues of uncertainty, both in love ("I Don't Trust Myself With Loving You)" and finding meaning in a seemingly directionless life ("Stop This Train"). A first for Mayer, he speaks politically on the album's first single, "Waiting on the World to Change," an attempt to explain the apparent apathy of the younger generation toward the war in Iraq.

The best thing that can be said about Continuum is that it is stylistically consistent. Basically, no songs go above mid-tempo, and the music maintains a smoothness throughout that never falters. But this leads to a rather ironic problem. The album just seems so....produced. Many of the tracks contain so many different instruments, and so many layers of pad and organ, that the album loses its edge after a while, especially after repeated listenings. You'll notice the two songs from Try! that made it to Continuum, "Vultures" and "Gravity," are missing some of the raw energy of the live performances, as if they have been toned down to fit into Continuum's format.

Not that the format is bad, but there's just nothing here that stands out. Continuum could certainly be labeled as "easy listening." It makes for great background music. But there's nothing to really sing along to, to engage the listener. Which is a shame, because Mayer's lyrics are as good as ever, and a lot of the rather meaningful things he has to say are drowned out by the production.

So basically, there's really nothing that will disappoint, unless you're hoping for a completely new, boundary-breaking step by Mayer. Pop this CD in for a good listen or two, then keep it in your iTunes for your next mixer, and you'll get your money's worth.