Personnel: John Mayer (vocals); John Mayer (guitar); Pino Palladino (vocals, electric bass, background vocals); Steve Jordan (vocals, drums, percussion, background vocals); Sandy Vongdasy, Harley Pasternak, Maggie Slavonic, Ricky Cytonbaum, Scotty Crowe, Kristen Moss (vocals); Ben Harper (guitar); Charlie Hunter (8-string guitar); Willie Weeks (electric bass); Manolo Badrena (percussion); Chalmers "Spanky" Alford, James Valentine (guitar); Lannie McMIllian (tenor saxophone); Jim Mahorn (baritone saxophone); Ben Carley (trumpet); Jack Hale (trombone); Roy Hargrove (horns); Ricky Peterson (piano, keyboards); Lester Snell (Fender Rhodes piano, organ); Larry Goldings (organ, keyboards); Jamie Muhoberac (keyboards).
Audio Mixers: Manny Marroquin; Michael Brauer.
Recording information: Avatar Studios, New York, NY; Right Track Recording, New York, NY; Royal Studios, Memphis; The Village Recorder, Los Angeles, CA.
Photographers: John Mayer; Sam Erickson; Mark Seliger; Chad Franscoviak.
John Mayer's progression as an artist has been an intriguing one. The move from his acoustic folk debut INSIDE WANTS OUT to the electric pop of his breakthroughs, ROOM FOR SQUARES and HEAVIER THINGS, showed him to be a singer, guitarist, and songwriter of range as well as commercial durability. Mayer then confounded the critics who dismissed him as a Dave Matthews clone when he released a raw, rootsy, blues-based live album with a trio that featured ace session musicians.
The horizons of Mayer's musical world continued to expand with 2006's CONTINUUM. Mellow and soulful, yet textured and sophisticated in execution, CONTINUUM incorporates all the elements of the artist's previous releases while raising the bar on craft, musicianship, and tunesmithery. Classic blues, R&B, and soul are the major touchstones here, but Mayer doesn't merely ape his influences; instead he assimilates them into a personal singer-songwriter mode that is as affecting as it is understated. Mid-tempo and downtempo grooves dominate, but the man still has a way with a lilting, folk-tinged melody (as on the lovely "The Heart of Life"). Mayer's deft guitar work and increasingly nuanced singing take center stage on first listen, but it is his heartfelt, beautifully written songs that truly make CONTINUUM shine.