John Mayer, Sob Rock | Album Review 💿

John Mayer delivers one of the most honest, personal projects of his career with his eighth studio album, Sob Rock. 

After a four-year-hiatus, one of the biggest stars of the 00s returns.  That’s right, 🏆 Grammy-winning pop/rock artist 🎙 John Mayer is back with his eighth studio album, 💿 Sob Rock. Sob Rock is an appropriate title given the loneliness, regret, and sadness that Mayer exhibits. Love – well – it’s a BIG deal on this LP. Sob Rock is moody, but John’s moodiness plays to his advantage ‘more often than not.’  With no glaring miscues, there’s plenty to heart about Sob Rock.  

“Last Train Home” 

“And if you’re gonna hurt me / Then you gotta hold me next to you.” ✅ 🎵 “Last Train Home” serves as a fantastic opener on Sob Rock. Mayer penned the pleasant “Last Train Home,” co-producing with 🎛 Don Was.  Here, listeners are blessed with those distinct, signature vocals by Mayer.  As always, he has a gorgeous tone.  Despite a limited vocal range, he’s always made it work superbly. “Last Train Home” possesses 80s influence, featuring more synthesizer compared to his past work. No worries, as we still have guitar and Mayer remains one of the elite guitarists of our time. Oh, and besides his skills with the strings, the lyrics work well too, particularly the chorus:

“I’m not a fallen angel, I just fell behind
I’m out of luck and I’m out of time
If you don’t wanna love me, let me go
I’m runnin’ for the last train
I’m runnin’ for the last train home.”

Mayer keeps the momentum going strong on ✅ 🎵 “Shouldn’t Matter but It Does.”  Reminiscing on a past relationship, it’s clear how things ended still bother Mayer.  On the second verse, he sings, “You shoulda just broken / You shoulda come clean / You shoulda been sad instead of being so fucking mean…” Throughout, everything is about what ‘should’ve’ happened, yet it didn’t and even though it’s in the past, it’s still eats away at John.  Perhaps the prime example is the third and final verse, where he states, “We could have been busy naming baby number three.” Yeah, Sob Rock is the perfect title for this album, with “Shouldn’t Matter but It Does” masterfully capturing a regretful sentiment. 

“New Light” 

✅ 🎵 “New Light” arrived in 2018, more than three years before Sob Rock! Even so, the No I.D. produced song still sounds solid years after its arrival. Mayer is honest about where he stands on “New Light.” On the first verse, he asserts he’s “Pushing 40 in the friend zone,” later adding, “Oh, you don’t think twice ‘bout me.” On the second verse, he paints a carefree picture where, “We can go far from the end / And make a new world together baby.” The chorus sums up the situation, where essentially, Mayer just wants one chance to prove himself. All in all, he sounds smooth as butter on “New Light.” It’s not game changing, but give the beautiful vocal tone, crisp guitars, and mellow backdrop some credit.

Admittedly, the song title ✅ 🎵 “Why You No Love Me” is silly and schmaltzy. Regardless, before hearing a note, we sense where John is going with the song. Like the three tracks that precede it, he delivers the goods (grammar aside).  I love the harmonic progression.  The guitar is gorgeous, as are those passionate vocals by Mayer.  Lyrically simple, it’s relatable, nonetheless. 🎵 “Wild Blue” keeps the Sob Rock going for sure: “I found myself when I lost you.” Damn.  Mayer gets the heartbreak out of his system on this soft rock joint. His chill, breezy approach is appealing and incredibly charming. The lyrics, particularly the first verse, are poetic and radiantly penned.  Musically, there are some sweet cues too, always poised and never forcing the issue.  Even the guitar soloing exhibits a ‘cool energy.’

“Shot in the Dark”

“And I don’t know what I’m gonna do / I’ve loved seven other women and they all were you.” God, I love that lyric, and the honestly from John Mayer regarding his feelings. 🎵 “Shot in the Dark” is worth listening to minimally thanks to the second verse.  Of course, there are more bright spots.  There’s some ‘nostalgia’ considering “Shot in the Dark” sounds like an 80s song.  It’s no anachronism mind you, as it sounds refreshing to the ears in 2021. Furthermore, it perfectly suits the Mayer.  

Follow up that excellence with more in the honest ✅ 🎵 “I Guess I Just Feel Like.”  Like much of Sob Rock, I love how clean, uncluttered, and crisp the sound is.  Mayer continues to use space, poise, and simplicity to his advantage.  It’s chill and laid-back yet also energetic.  Literally, it doesn’t seem like Mayer broke a sweat while recording his vocals. Maybe he perspired a bit with the bluesy guitar solo he serves up, but even it never grows too raucous.  Lyrically, it’s framed around the titular line and specifically, how Mayer feels.  Ultimately, ranks among the best of Sob Rock. 

“Til the Right One Comes”

“Well, the lucky in love call themselves winners / And losers are sinners who have gone astray.” Woo, now that’s a lyric! There’s some truth to what Mayer sings on ✅ 🎵 “Til the Right One Comes,” a record where he has something to prove.  This is a classic example of people have written someone off, yet perhaps they shouldn’t – their time is coming.  That’s what John sells on this tuneful joint: “That’s alright, give it time and maybe / I prove you wrong when the right one comes.”

Mayer keeps things short but sweet on 🎵 “Carry Me Away.” Here, John longs for a love to sweep him off his feet, essentially.  Characterizing himself as a boring, he wants more – he wants to feel live and, of course, in love.  For those of us who are getting older and haven’t attained that dream relationship, this penultimate cut speaks to us.  He concludes the tight 10-track, 38-minute LP with 🎵 “All I Want Is to Be with You.”  On this four-minute number, we’re back in “Shouldn’t Matter but It Does” territory.  Mayer longs for a past lover whom he’s clearly not over. Perhaps he’ll never be over her.  “And I can find me someone new,” he asserts on the first verse, adding, “But all I want is to be with you.” “All I Want Is to Be with You” is more dynamic than most of Sob Rock, fitting for the closing song.  What is consistent here is Mayer’s transparency.  I feel, listening to this song and the others from Sob Rock, where his feelings lie, and they’re relatable to the nth degree. 

Final Thoughts 💭

After a four-year-hiatus, we finally got a new John Mayer album.  Sob Rock is well-rounded.  It’s no frills, but the restrained, subtle approach plays to Mayer’s strengths from start to finish.  It’s also not as if his guitar skills have faded in the least – he still kills it.  Sob Rock isn’t his most thrilling or important album, but his authenticity and honesty, along with his distinct pipes, successful carry it. 

✅ Gems 💎: “Last Train Home,” “Shouldn’t Matter but It Does,” “New Light,” “Why You No Love Me,” “I Guess I Just Feel Like,” “Til the Right One Comes”

🎙 John Mayer • 💿 Sob Rock • 🏷 Columbia • 🗓 7.16.21

[📷: Columbia]