Friday Feature: John Mayer's "Born and Raised"

Man, I love John Mayer. Call it a man-crush or whatever, I simply cannot get over this guy. Yes, I know he comes across as a jerk in every interview, but when he picks up his guitar it simply overcomes all of that for me.

I have loved each of John Mayer's albums up to this point, so I was expecting another home run with "Born and Raised." I wasn't disappointed.

Yes, I'm going to highlight the two obvious choices off the record, so I apologize if you were hoping for some hidden treasures. Again, I'm just hoping to give the reader enough interest to check out the record and give it a thorough listen.

With that in mind, here are my two 'must hear' choices from this album.

"Shadow Days"

"Walt Grace's Submarine Test, January 1967"

Both of these tunes hit me squarely in the ears, heart and mind through a combination of brilliant lyrics, subtle melodies and harmonies, and fantastic orchestrations. No virtuosic intensity here, just great storytelling.

Happy listening!