Payweek Picks: John Mayer - Continuum
November 08, 2013
I was never a fan of John Mayer before. His pop songs on the radio never really struck a chord with me, so I never bothered to listen to anything else by him. What a mistake! Thankfully my narrow musical mind has been enlightened.
The Spirited Uncle M took me on a field trip to a local hi-fi shop (Holm Audio in Woodridge, IL) where we sampled a few high-end systems using the song "Gravity." It's a good song, and it sounded great on the different systems we were listening to, but the track that really caught me by surprise was "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room." There's just something about the bluesy guitar riffs and smooth vocals that's kept me hooked since hearing it. I've come to realize that John Mayer is so much more than what the radio and tabloids led me to believe.
Thanks to Spotify, I was able to listen to all of his other work as well. While he has a lot of great songs spread across many albums, I actually enjoy Continuum as a whole. And so, this is my Payweek Pick.
If you haven't heard this album before, I recommend giving these songs a listen: "Vultures," "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room," and "I Don't Trust Myself."
Here's a picture of the "big" system we heard in Holm Audio's large demo room that day; it sounded like John was performing in the room with you. Pretty amazing; although it should be since you could likely buy a small home with the amount of money it would take to purchase the equipment and cabling that was running: Bel Canton transport and DAC; Manley tube preamp, Hegel amp, Sony SS AR1 towers, and an assortment of Nordost Odin cables.
10 comments
Hi derrick,
ReplyDeleteWas it the Bel Cantos that was used during your listening session?
Bel Canto transport and DAC. Manley tube preamp. Hegel amp. *Nordost Odin cables and those are Sony towers. Not sure of the specific models though.
DeleteThe acoustic version of Slow dancing in a burning room was my kind of music :)
DeleteGreetings Kristoffer,
DeleteWithout a doubt, Gravity is the Best song on the album. JM
Hello Blogmeister,
ReplyDeleteWhat's up dudski, nothing new on the blog site are you out of business of just catching your breathe. Inquiring minds want to know
Sorry; hectic schedule lately. A new post will be up soon.
DeleteI have to give you props dude, Vultures is without a doubt one of Mayer's BEST. Are you still on the pot? Inquiring minds want to know.
DeleteTo my dear, but impatient reader. New post is up today actually: http://thesoundapprentice.blogspot.com/2013/11/do-cables-really-sound-different.html
DeleteThis is a great album! I'm going to see him live at First Ave in Minneapolis on the 23rd and I'm really hoping his set list includes a few Continuum songs
ReplyDeleteThat should be a great show. From what I have heard, Phillip Phillips is pretty good, too. Have fun!
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