Half of My Heart

Half of my entire heart belongs to John Mayer's new record Battle Studies. It doesn't officially arrive until Tuesday but the full version Rhapsody is currently streaming on their site is unbelievable. It is better than possibly anything he has ever commited to tape, which is saying a lot.

I know some people don't appreciate Mayer's public antics played out in every supermarket tabloid and evening entertainment show you can find but his music is on a completely different level I assure you.

I will try to do a full review (even just to see if I can) once Tuesday comes and I can enjoy the album in the comfort of my own home but it will be tough to not gush to extremes about how fantastic this music is. You know, I expected a great record but this far exceeds all my expectations. This is an album I would proudly blast out of any speakers at any time. This is one of my favorite things in the world right now.

I know it might say "aspiring music journalist" in the "about me" of this blog and maybe this isn't very journalistic but when you love something, how can you form words to express it rationally? I have not figured it out yet, I am just too excited to care!

Battle Studies is beyond words for me. "Heartbreak Warfare", "Perfectly Lonely", "Assassin", "All We Ever Do is Say Goodbye", "Half of My Heart", "War of My Life"... all exceptional by any standards.

One complaint I can think of so far? The war concept is a little wearing on my nerves in terms of lyrics by the end of the album. I can appreciate what is trying to be said by the consistent metaphors of love and war but perhaps it could've been toned down a pinch? Doesn't matter much though - I don't think the lyrics matter half as much as some of the real music found within these songs. Mayer has absolutely found the right background sounds for his raspy, mellow, sparse vocals. The combination is the definition of flawless.

Flawless.