By John Samuel Mecum
John Mayer has been a recording artist for over 15 years now. From his own solo ventures and side projects in the John Mayer Trio, to touring with Dead and Company last summer (along with 19 upcoming dates this year), Mayer has developed a catalog of a great variety. The variety shows with Mayer’s newest batch of songs from his latest release: “The Search for Everything: Wave Two.” It’s a four song EP and is the second in a series of monthly installments, leading up to the release of the 14-song album later in the spring.
The songs on “Wave Two” reflect sounds from various points in Mayer’s career. Soulful melodies and funky riffs reminiscent of his album “Continuum” take the forefront in songs such as “Still Feel Like Your Man” and “Helpless.” The song, “Emoji of a Wave” presents a delicate acoustic guitar that floats around beautiful harmonies and reflects the playful, yet clever and well-thought-out sounds of Mayer’s early work. The fourth and final track of the EP, “Roll it on Home,” feels like Mayer plucked it from his sessions for “Paradise Valley” and emits a very folky mid-western vibe.
Even with all four songs on “The Search for Everything” having their own unique qualities to them, the one thing that ties them all together is the lyrical content. All four songs deal with loss of love and the process of living with and getting over that loss. After a very public relationship and separation from singer Katy Perry, it’s apparent that Mayer is using his music to get through some feelings of love lost. If one thing is for certain about John Mayer and his music, it is that few things can be as inspiring as a broken heart.
