Born & Raised: A Non-Review

 

Leave it to John Mayer to send me into tears first thing this morning while running.

Today was album release day. A very exciting day for those of us awaiting the release of Mayer's new album Born & Raised.

I had this whole giant "Gosh darnit I love this album!" post ready to go but then couldn't pull the trigger to post it. *sigh* Ridiculous, I know.

Here's the thing. I listened to this album all day. I listened to it on my run this morning. All day at work. And now all evening at home, trying to figure how to put in my own words what I think about Mayer's new release. And all I keep coming up with are over enthusiastic, single words with lots of exclamation points to describe the dang thing: Amazing. Refreshing. Brilliant. Moving. Honest. Pure. Genius. I could go on but I won't for fear that I end up sounding like a thesaurus.

I can say this.....The Age of Worry brought me to tears on my run as did the title track Born & Raised. Walter Grace's Submarine Test: January 1967 broke my heart. Speak For Me made me giggle and Sometime Like Olivia made me smile.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Sometimes music strikes a chord (no pun intended) and hits you at just the right time. That's how I feel about this album. And for the life of me, I can't explain why. I'm sure part of it has been the overwhelming feelings of "being lost" lately and so many of these songs (at least to me) are about searching for something, searching for yourself, who you are and who you thought you were/supposed to be. This album seems to speaks to those feelings from start to finish. Say what you will, but Mayer has a way with words, cliche as sometimes they may seem. He is able to put together lyrics that resonate with me and how I am feeling. I feel like I could hand someone his words and say "This! This is what I want you to know!" and they'd get it. I know that makes little to no sense at all, but sometimes the music speaks for me. And that's what this album is for me. A voice for a soul searching for something that is barely out of reach.

So line on up, and take your place And show your face to the morning Cause one of these days you'll be born and raised And it all comes on without warning.......