Room For Square (2001)
Room for Squares is the debut studio album of American musician John Mayer, released September 18, 2001 on Columbia Records in the United States. Originally released independently through Aware Records on June 5, 2001, the album peaked at number 9 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. Upon its release, Room for Squares received generally positive reviews from most music critics and earned Mayer a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for the single "Your Body Is a Wonderland". It remains as his best-selling album to date, with sales of over 4,308,000 copies in the U.S. as of July 2009. The album's title is a reference to Hank Mobley's No Room for Squares album. All songs from the album are written by Mayer; three songs, "No Such Thing", "Neon", and "Love Song for No One", were co-written with Clay Cook. The first and third of these, along with "My Stupid Mouth" and "Back to You," originally appeared on Mayer's 1999 EP Inside Wants Out. Through constant shows, including in the Atlanta-area Eddie's Attic, Mayer's reputation began to build, and a March 2000 appearance at the South by Southwest Music Festival brought him to the attention of "launch" label, Aware Records. After including him in the Aware Festival concerts and having his songs included on Aware compilations, in early 2001, Aware released Room for Squares as an internet-only album. During that time, Aware inked a deal with Columbia Records that gave Columbia first pick in signing Aware artists, and so in September 2001, Columbia remixed and re-released Room for Squares. As part of the major label "debut", the album's artwork was updated, and the track "3x5" was added, which didn't appear on the original as the recording wasn't yet complete at the time. The re-release included reworked studio versions of the first four songs from his indie album, Inside Wants Out. The cover art for the most recent release of Room for Squares features a periodic table design beginning from the back cover which continues to the front cover, ending at the right-side.
Heavier Things (2003)
Heavier Things is the second studio album by American musician John Mayer, released September 9, 2003 on Columbia Records in the United States. 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. 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.[2] 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 and several late shows. However, "Bigger Than My Body" is today considered one of Mayer's signature songs.
Continuum (2006)
Continuum is the third studio album by American musician John Mayer, released September 9, 2006 on Columbia Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during November 2005 to September 2006 at The Village Recorder in Los Angeles, California, Avatar Studios and Right Track/Sound on Sound in New York City, and Royal Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. Production was handled primarily by Mayer and Steve Jordan. It marked a change in Mayer's musical style, and incorporated musical elements of blues and soul more heavily than in his previous work with pop-rock. The album debuted at number 2 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 300,186 copies in its first week. It also reached the top-ten in several other countries and sold over 3 million copies worldwide. Upon its release, Continuum received generally positive reviews from most music critics and earned Mayer several accolades, including a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 49th Grammy Awards. Rolling Stone magazine named it the eleventh best album of 2006. Mayer made the decision to name his third album Continuum at least a year before the album was released. In his column in the April 2005 issue of Esquire, Mayer wrote, "I'm obsessed with time lately, constantly crunching the numbers to get some sense of where I stand in the continuum."[6] In his column in the September 2005 issue of Esquire he confirmed the title, writing, "I've never experienced anything like the recording process involved in making Continuum, my third-album-to-be. The album features mainly new songs, though "Gravity" and "Vultures" are available in live versions from John Mayer Trio's Try!, and "Bold as Love", which is a Jimi Hendrix cover: the first Hendrix cover that Mayer has ever recorded as a studio release (although Mayer has recorded other Hendrix songs over time in live settings such as "The Wind Cries Mary" and "Wait Until Tomorrow"). (Mayer had played "Bold as Love" live many times prior to the release of Continuum such as on the televised Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope which aired on January 15, 2005.) The album contains a collaboration between Mayer and 8-string guitarist Charlie Hunter on the tune "In Repair". The song "Stop this Train" was written during a time of, what Mayer calls, "solitary refinement;" He was in bed suffering from double kidney stones, and living in a hotel while finding a new residence.
Battle Studies (2009)
Battle Studies is the fourth studio album by American rock musician John Mayer, released November 17, 2009 on Columbia Records in the United States. Production for the album took place during February to August 2009 at Battle Studies recording studio in Calabasas, California, Capitol Studios in Hollywood, and The Village in West Los Angeles, California, and was handled by Mayer and Steve Jordan. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 286,000 copies in its first week. It achieved successful sales in several other countries and produced two singles that attained chart success. Upon its release, Battle Studies received positive reviews from most music critics. The album has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America and has sold 880,000 copies in the United States. During a live performance in June 2009 Mayer said, "The album is called Battle Studies and that's because it incorporates a lot of the lessons, a lot of the observations, and a little bit of advice. Like a handbook, like a heartbreak handbook."[citation needed] On October 1, 2009, Mayer posted via twitter: "Track listing on Battle Studies is complete! Very interesting order... 11 songs. 45 minutes. Hit 'em hard and get out." The album was leaked just hours before Mayer was scheduled to perform an official "radio leak" on 103.7 Sophie in San Diego. However, Mayer gave his listeners permission to download the leak, as long as they "registered" their copies by ordering the album. Mayer's 2010 Battle Studies World Tour began on February 4, 2010 in Sunrise, Florida at the BankAtlantic Center, and ended on October 1, 2010 in Manila, Philippines, at SM Mall of Asia.
Born and Raised (2012)
Born and Raised is the fifth studio album by American musician John Mayer that was released on May 22, 2012. The first single "Shadow Days" was released February 27 on Mayer's blog. This album marks the return of John Mayer after a two year break from the public eye due to the surgical removal of a granuloma near his vocal cords. Born and Raised marks yet another change in Mayer's musical style, incorporating musical elements of folk and Americana that take influences from Bob Dylan, Neil Young, David Crosby and Graham Nash. American Songwriter stated that "Mayer approaches Born and Raised like a method actor, diving headfirst into his new sound — a mix of Laurel Canyon folk and California country-rock," praising Mayer's technical skills as well as Don Was' production work. Born and Raised has received generally positive reviews from most critics, some calling it "his best album to date" Born and Raised is John Mayer's third number one album on the Billboard 200 in the United States, selling 219,000 units in its first week. The following week, it was again placed at the top spot, being Mayer's first album to spend more than a week in the top spot on the chart. In Canada, the album debuted at number one, selling 17,800 copies. This is John's first number one album in Canada. The album also entered the UK album charts at number four.
