Review Summary: Where The Light Is shows all three incarnations of John Mayer at their very best, and, for once, this is a deluxe helping of the man that might well convert some of his many haters.
He's been the butt of the most jokes, the object of the most hatred, and the recipient of the most 'this guy sux' in the music industry for a while now (second only to Kanye West, of course) and is frequently referred to as the douchebag ladies' man who can't make anything other 'gay pop music for faggots.' (see: any YouTube video of his music) Ladies and gentlemen, the man we all love to hate, John Mayer. With 2008's Where The Light Is, Mayer presented us with a two-hour live album from his special charity show in L.A. Featuring three sets, each highlighting a different string to his bow, this album serves as both a 'greatest hits' release of a sort, and also the culmination of everything our favourite douche had been attempting in the music he was making up to that point. So why is it, then, that it all comes together to feel like so much more than either of those simple things would imply?
If we break it down to its core building blocks, Where The Light Is can be separated into the aforementioned three sets. The first sees Mayer, later joined by David Ryan Harris and Robbie McIntosh, all playing acoustic guitars and performing, mostly, some of the man's softer material. Neon serves as an opener that's suitably demonstrative of Mayer's astonishing talent at his instrument, as we get a jazzy, funky and altogether compelling to the song, and the concert as a whole. As more guitarists join him, the music gets a little more relaxed, with a surprising (pleasantly so) cover of Tom Petty's Free Fallin' standing out as the highlight from the first set.
But the 'tr00' fans will be waiting for the second set to start, after all of that 'pop crap,' which they no doubt despise so much, is over. The second set sees Mayer in one of his other incarnations, as the leader of a blues trio (called, suitably for such a supposedly ego-centric guy, The John Mayer Trio) that calls to mind Hendrix's revered band immediately. This lofty comparison is not without merit, however, as Mayer proves that he's more than up to the task with what is, in this humble reviewer and guitarist's opinion, probably the best concentrated forty five minutes of blues guitar of the last decade. Every track features copious soloing from Mayer that shows him at his absolute best as a guitarist, but the ten minute Out Of My Mind is the highlight of this setlist, showing Mayer's playing at it's most ostentatious at times, and at others at it's most inventive and, most importantly, it's most inspiring.
Finally, the third set sees a full band being brought in, complete with horn section, to reel off some of Mayer's biggest hits in a suitably grandiose manner. Once again, the performances are flawless, and it's here that we see what are, arguably, the highlights of the whole concert. I Don't Need No Doctor, a Ray Charles song originally, gets a superbly funky makeover, with trombone and saxophone solos complementing Mayer's increasingly hectic, but impossibly controlled, soloing that evokes memories of Stevie Ray Vaughan's more technically prolific moments. A ten minute version of pop hit Gravity, featuring a neat Otis Redding interpolation, is also highly enjoyable, but the real highlight of the set is the (largely unchanged from studio) Slow Dancing In A Burning Room. Featuring a closing guitar solo that reaches almost (I said almost, remember that before all you prog fans flame me) Comfortably Numb levels of emotion being weaned out of the instrument.
So, as you can see, there's a whole lot of John Mayer related goodness on offer for the fan on this album. And sure, all of his stereotypical bimbo listeners will lap it all up, and the poppiness that he's consistently accused of is present and correct, some of the time at least. But after hearing such a diverse display of such a burgeoning talent, one is left feeling a little at a loss as to how this man faces so much stick from both the press, and the inhabitants of various message boards, this one included. The second set really does reach jaw-dropping heights of virtuosity, but, unlike more technically skilled bands such as Dream Theater et al, Mayer really has the restraint and finesse here that sets him firmly in the right direction for entering the pantheon of the blues greats.
Now I'm sure this review won't get a lot of hits at all, because, well, it's John Mayer. But to any cynical metalhead, hipster or just average joe that is one of the many who hates this man, who reads this, I urge you to give it a listen. It might be 'just' a live album, but after all is said and done, Where The Light Is really comes off as feeling like something so much more. And to anybody who dismisses him as a talentless douchebag sellout, or whichever other insult is likely to be thrown his way on some website in the next few seconds, I'd suggest that you listen to the climactic notes of the solo on Slow Dancing In A Burning Room here. THAT is the John Mayer that the world deserves to hear, and, recent poppier efforts aside, nobody can take what he's achieved in the second and third sets on this album away from him.
