Fine Acoustic Listens: The Village Sessions - John Mayer
After the rich, soulful sounds of John Mayer's third studio album Continuum, I was curious and perhaps slightly sceptical at the thought of an acoustic EP based on that album. Though this is due in part, to the fact that, as I have mentioned in a previous post, I prefer listening to music with a full band rather than acoustically, in the case of The Village Sessions, there were more factors which contributed to my general lack of excitement prior to its release. Firstly, I love the production on Continuum, the instrumentation holds a consistent warmth and fullness that is complimented by slick arrangements and Mayer's thought provoking lyrics, overall culminating in a soulful, solid sound that runs throughout the album. However, it was attending the live shows throughout the Continuum era (and listening to all of the amazing fan-made recordings from the tours) that gave me a fuller appreciation of the album - the songs just sounded so damn good live, arguably even better than on record.
As it is, The Village Sessions is a thoroughly enjoyable acoustic listen and a fine accompaniment to Continuum. The six-track EP features five songs from that record, plus one track from Mayer's 2005 live album Try!, that was recorded as part of the John Mayer Trio. The EP is worth obtaining if only to hear 'Waiting On The World To Change', a fantastic collaboration with Ben Harper. The addition of Harper's vocals on the chorus and the stripped down breakdown of the middle 8, gives the track an irresistible groove that in my opinion, is far superior to the studio version that appears on Continuum. Another key track on the EP is 'Belief', which despite having considerably less instrumentation, and a more relaxed tempo, delivers just as much impact as the original. 'Good Love Is On The Way' is another surprising highlight. I would never have thought an acoustic rendition of this track would have worked as superbly as the original that features on Try!, but this version succeeds in its acoustic approach, mainly due to Mayer's impressive guitar skills and bluesy vocals, of which he freely experiments with key changes and ad-libs. The Village Sessions is an overall refreshing and endearing EP, with acoustic re-workings that add an interesting new dimension to the original recordings.
As it is, The Village Sessions is a thoroughly enjoyable acoustic listen and a fine accompaniment to Continuum. The six-track EP features five songs from that record, plus one track from Mayer's 2005 live album Try!, that was recorded as part of the John Mayer Trio. The EP is worth obtaining if only to hear 'Waiting On The World To Change', a fantastic collaboration with Ben Harper. The addition of Harper's vocals on the chorus and the stripped down breakdown of the middle 8, gives the track an irresistible groove that in my opinion, is far superior to the studio version that appears on Continuum. Another key track on the EP is 'Belief', which despite having considerably less instrumentation, and a more relaxed tempo, delivers just as much impact as the original. 'Good Love Is On The Way' is another surprising highlight. I would never have thought an acoustic rendition of this track would have worked as superbly as the original that features on Try!, but this version succeeds in its acoustic approach, mainly due to Mayer's impressive guitar skills and bluesy vocals, of which he freely experiments with key changes and ad-libs. The Village Sessions is an overall refreshing and endearing EP, with acoustic re-workings that add an interesting new dimension to the original recordings.
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