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Show r Bring this coupon in for your choice INoof 1 FREE BOOK, DVD, or CD! I strings attached, bring in a coupon & walk out with one item of your choice. Limit one coupon per visit. Jenson Books 753-5367 1 1766 I I L Blacksmith Court (400 W) access from 1700 S See Map at jensonbooksonline.com Mon-Fri 10-8, Sat 10-6 — Over 25,000 books & more arriving daily! We bua sell, & trade books! Join Now! UtahStateU n ive rsity Page 8 A&EDiversions Friday, Feb. 19, 2010 Mayer stays strong with "Battle Studies" It's no secret that John In fact, the title, "Battle Landon Studies," reflects what Mayer released his new album last December. As Hemsley I believe to be Mayer's ongoing battle with maina matter of fact, I would guess that most of my taining a meaningful relationship more than anyreaders have already heard at least one of the thing else. I draw my evitracks from the album, dence from the first and and I can guarantee that probably most famous Grade A every Mayer fan in the track on the album, United States practically "Battle Studies" "Heartbreak Warfare." by John Mayer worships this album. It's slow and meanIt's also no secret that dering, but the lyrics are Mayer needs no publicity deep and the style is clas- he's already plenty famous and sells sic Mayer. I believe, in part, this track millions of albums without the help from is going to stick around for a long time a college newspaper in Logan. However, for two reasons. Firstly, this song has the odds are the average Joe has not heard best hook I have heard from a song in much about the details of this record. months. Any normal person who listens That's where I come in. So, should you to this song will come away humming or spend $15 of your hard-earned money singing. I submit the fact that my roommate and I are singing along with the on the album? The album is called "Battle Studies." track, as I write this review. Secondly, When I heard the title, I thought it any rational person who has tried and sounded interesting for a Mayer album. I failed at love can relate to this song, but, was curious to see if Mayer's style would surprisingly, Mayer and the label did not change, especially after Mayer teamed think this track would be the big hit. up with Fall Out Boy to cover Michael "Heartbreak Warfare" was not the first Jackson's "Beat It," hardcore-style. That track pushed by the record label, when cover is awesome, and if you haven't the CD was set to be released, accordheard it, I recommend you look it up. ing to a work colleague I have at a Salt Mayer's guitar solo in the middle is meltLake City radio station. That honor fell your-face-off awesome, and Michael to "Who Says," the fourth track on the Jackson's music is timeless, even if it is album. The song is musically great. The covered. But I digress. chord progression and guitar fingerpicking are flawless. As with "Heartbreak The one thing the music connoisseur should bear in mind, when getting to this Warfare," the average listener will come album, is that Mayer has not changed away humming the tune. The only flaw his musical style. If you liked Mayer's with this song is the lyrics, and that flaw previous work, you'll like this CD. He is a big one. has neither changed himself into a hard"Who says I can't get stoned? Turn rock artist nor has he altered his tempo off the lights and the telephone. Me in nor singing style. As a matter of fact, my house, alone. Who says I can't get Mayer's subject matter hasn't changed stoned?" much since the last album either. Mostly, Mayer has an amazing skill in being Mayer loves to sing about ruined love, able to incorporate less tasteful subjects heartbreak and destroyed lives. The into catchy music. It just so happens that theme sticks through this album. in "Who Says," the less tasteful subject Tune Takes is drug use. Now, that was just one line from the song. Before judging any lyric, the entire song must be taken into account. I plead with readers to reserve judgment for themselves until they've heard the song and read the lyrics independently. Radio fears too much public backlash and probably rightfully so. I just wish Mayer hadn't written a song about being a stoner so that I could hear it on the air. The seventh track, "Crossroads," is probably the most soulful track I've heard from Mayer in any of his four studio albums and the best blues song I've heard in a long time. The riff Mayer lays down is comparable to "Spirit in the Sky," and Mayer's guitar solo around which the rest of the track revolves defies description. If I were cruising down the road in upstate Alabama or Mississippi, this is the music I would be listening to. The track is slightly out of the box for Mayer and is found in probably the best possible position on the album. It's preceded by an eclectic experiment and followed by truly a vintage-sounding Mayer track featuring fading electric guitar and a progressive drumbeat. The change of pace provided by "Crossroads" really makes the album. I predict the final track of the album, "Friends, Lovers, or Nothing," will be Mayer's next single. The progression of the song develops extremely well, and just like all of Mayer's other hits, the melody is catchy. Just like "Heartbreak Warfare," the subject matter is one that most can identify with. The song is excellent. I give Mayer a solid A for this CD. He innovated with "Crossroads," satisfied his fan base with, well, the entire album and the rest of music-hungry middle America with "Heartbreak Warfare." I think the album you'll get for your $11 on iTunes is well worth the cash. - Ia.hem@aggiemaiLusu.edu ,111■/.. LH SEE IT. HEAR IT. FEEL IT. BELIEVE IT. TONIGHT vs. BYU 7 PM GREEK NIGHT Dee Glen Smith Spectrum Admission is FREE with USU Student ID! WWWITAHSTATEAGGIES.COM Band: Group blends old with new continued from page 5 expansive album that lends itself to absorbed 930 N Main St. Logan, Ut (435) 753-9755 listening from start to finish, much like the great rock albums do." In addition to newgrass, the 'dusters have been categorized as "jamgrass." They are known for their arrangements, including covers of country and rock classics at their concerts, where all the band members jam individually and collectively. Traditional bluegrass musicians have questioned the license that newer bands, such as the Stringdusters, have taken with regard to their compositions, but increasingly younger audiences find the innovative tunes entertaining. Patrick Carlton, a freshman from Florida State University who plays guitar for the Bluewater Bluegrass Band, posted on ilike. corn that "the Infamous Stringdusters have extended the boundaries of acoustic music and broaden the horizons of bluegrass as a musical genre ... As a bluegrass musician and aficionado, I must say you guys represent a much needed awakening for the art form and are truly the embodiment of collective virtuosity." Kim Ruehl, who runs the folk music site for about.com , praised their live vocals, saying, "Each member's voice is so smooth and quintessentially Nashville, that it feels like listening to a composite of all the great male Nashvillian singers in one place at one time." Ruehl said folk music - which came out of the American Revolution, the slave fields, the Civil War and Reconstruction - is an important part of history. "There are folk songs that people made to help themselves through labor struggles and the crash of the stock market," Ruehl said. "Every war has been sound-tracked by folk songs. In each moment of human history, average and amazing people find a way to sing out that is somehow nostalgic, optimistic, heartbreaking and empowering at the same time." The current social climate may be fertile ground for a crop of these fresh, original talents. The Infamous Stringdusters concert is hosted by the Bridger Folk Music Society (BFMS). Founded in 1979, BFMS is a nonprofit all-volunteer organization, dedicated to supporting folk music in its many forms. In addition to concerts at USU venues, BFMS hosts coffeehouse and private home performances featuring locally-, regionally- and nationally-known musicians. BFMS President Eric Wagner praised the `dusters' music and said students would enjoy the band's style, which he described as "collectively pushing the bluegrass envelope into new territory." Wagner would love to see a packed house at the concert. He said, "It is not often we get a band of this caliber to come to Logan. It would be great to show them the community appreciates their music." The cost for the concert is $16 in advance and $18 at the door. For more information, refer to their Web site, www.bridgerfolk.org . - tam.r@aggiemail.usu.edu |