[Slowhand] Mayer

[Jenny Katz]

EC has chosen to work with Mayer - does that put his taste in question? 

While I will go with the general concensus that his early stuff - a la Your Body is a Wonderland - is schmaltzy and lacking in substance, I agree with Jason; his later stuff is more mature, there is the SRV influence and I believe there is genuine talent there, including some good lyrics.

Give the guy a bit of a break - most unknowns have to start somewhere to gain a following, and the pop arena is a good place to establish a name, which provides the platform for going in the direction they really want to - didn't EC do the same?  Invariably, the real talent only emerges with time and age - he's relatively young, he's starting to appeal to a different audience (although unfortunately, he hasn't shaken the screaming sub-14 year olds yet) and personally I think he appeals to a wider audience than just the "yoof" (thank you Mike - long time ... how are you?)

My 22 yr old daughter introduced him to me a few years ago, I have in turn introduced him to my contemporaries, all of whom really appreciate his music.

There shouldn't be the comparison between him and EC/Doyle/Derek or any other, it's a matter of broadening one's spectrum, embracing different styles and acknowledging one's own preferences.  We saw the earlier debates about Trucks vs EC on this tour - all of them superfluous.  At the end of it all, it is a matter of taste.  For me, no-one will ever usurp EC as the greatest, but I can still enjoy the other offerings out there.  They do not have to be mutually exclusive.

Oh, and as for Jessica Simpson - no-one is infallible, even JM. His musical talent is not determined by his choice in relationships - even if she is a fluff head.

End of rant
Jenny


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Jason Lynch 
  To: slowhand at planet-torque.com 
  Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2007 9:15 AM
  Subject: Re: [Slowhand] Mayer


  I have to say, I get really sick of defending this guy, but here's what I think:

  1. He IS a good songwriter. Seriously. Those of you who play guitar, go look at the chord structures. There is a lot of really interesting stuff in their. No, he is not always gold, and yes, Your Body is a Waterpark is terrible, but come on, go listen to Try or Slow Dancing in a Burning Room or Neon, among others. Those are good songs. And really, this is a list for someone an artist who gave the world Wonderful Tonight, so let's be a little more judicious about taking the good with the bad. 

  2. He IS a good guitarist. A really good one, actually. He is clearly influenced by EC, but I can also hear the difference between the two of them. In reality, SRV is a bigger influence, though, again, I can hear the difference. Mayer may not be your cup of tea on the guitar, but that doesn't mean he's terrible. 

  And while I'm at it, I am so very tired of hearing how this and such guitarist isn't in the same league as EC (ie Derek and Doyle). A long time ago I reached the conclusion that, eventually, you hit a level where it's impossible to determine who's better and it becomes about who you prefer. The genesis of this idea came from listening to enough EC and Jimi to realize that they were capable of copping each others styles if they wanted to. After that, it stopped being about who was better. They're just different. Same goes for Derek and Doyle. I will not say they are better than EC, nor will I say that EC is better than either of them. I will say this, I think Derek and Doyle have put out albums that are better than anything EC has done since Layla. I know that might be sacrilege around here, but I will absolutely take "Welcome" by Doyle and "Songlines" by Derek over anything Clapton has done since 1970. Now, their are a lot of Clapton albums over that time period that I like, but none that I would say are musically more interesting than the two I just named. 

  Now, here's the important thing, you're free to disagree, but don't disagree by asserting your opinion as fact, start with "I think" and then provide reasons to back up what you say. (And no, Jessica Simpson comparisons are not reasons). 

  End rant.
  -Jason
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