After making minor waves with his 1999 debut, Inside Wants Out, John Mayer hired veteran producer John Alagfa (a longtime associate of the Dave Matthews Band) to lace his first major-label effort with commercial appeal. Released in September 2001, Room for Squares proved to be a savvy, well-timed album, quietly heralding the end of teen pop's glory days with nuanced wordplay, a relaxed gait, and intricate (although nevertheless accessible) songwriting. Songs like "No Such Thing" and {&"Ne...   [ read more ]

CD $9.49

Room for Squares was released in summer 2001, and John Mayer toured in support of it for more than a year after. The live Any Given Thursday, then, filled the gap until Mayer's proper follow-up could be recorded; it also capitalized on his tumbleweed of stardom, which was still rolling through 2003 due to a Grammy win and strong word of mouth between campuses about his live show. Any Given Thursday was recorded at Oak Mountain Amphitheater in Birmingham, AL, on September 12, 2002. In addi...   [ read more ]

CD $15.19

After John Mayer hooked up with producer John Alagia, who had previously worked with Dave Matthews, for his second album, Room for Squares, a lot of people heard him as a second Matthews. But a listen to Mayer's first album, Inside Wants Out, half of which turned up in re-recorded form on Room for Squares, is liable to remind the listener more of an earlier antecedent, 1970s folk-jazz performer Michael Franks of "Popsicle Toes" fame. Like Franks, Mayer here has a wheezy,...   [ read more ]

CD $7.59