by Yvonne C. Sing

Created on: January 07, 2007   Last Updated: May 09, 2007

I recently purchased a little-known John Mayer EP called "The Village Sessions". Those of you who have been fortunate enough to see Mayer in concert are well aware that no two performances of a song are exactly the same. "The Village Sessions" showcases several tracks that are sure to be fan sing-along favorites in the near future.

"The Village Sessions" is a collection of six acoustic tracks, mostly from his latest album "Continuum". The one exception is the fan favorite, "Good Love is On The Way", from the John Mayer Trio album "Try!". Below is the track listing:

Track 1 - Waiting On The World To Change
Track 2 - Belief
Track 3 - Slow Dancing In A Burning Room
Track 4 - Good Love Is On The Way
Track 5 - I'm Gonna Find Another You
Track 6 - In Repair

Mayer follows a blues-infused take on most of the aforementioned songs, which is a more effective demonstration of his range and growth as a singer-songwriter since his major label debut in 2001. However, Mayer seems to stick to a tried-and-true formula on "Waiting On The World To Change", which doesn't deviate much from the studio version on "Continuum". Sadly, if you're expecting a fresh version of this track, you may have to wait and see Mayer live. "Belief" and "Slow Dancing In A Burning Room" are similar in that they are both great songs, but tend to be very similar to the studio versions.

In general, the strongest tracks on the album seem to be "Good Love Is On The Way", "I'm Gonna Find Another You" and "In Repair". Mayer seems to break away from his former self; from pop balladeer to blues man/guitar virtuoso. It is in these tracks that you can hear how much Mayer has evolved as a singer-songwriter.

Overall, I would say the "The Village Sessions" is a good album to get John Mayer fans "over the hump" as they eagerly await his next concert or televised performance. However, those expecting an album ton of originality or improvisation from Mayer would do better by purchasing any of his live albums or DVDs. Still, as long as Mayer continues to focus on developing his writing and guitar skills, we can expect to hear many more solid performances and well-crafted, timeless songs from this artist.

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