John Mayer is complicated, y'all. On his fourth studio album, "Battle Studies" (Columbia), Mayer can be brilliant - as he is on the fiery, funked-up reimagining of Robert Johnson's "Crossroads"-as-"Innervisions"-era Stevie Wonder, and on the epic breakup tale "Friends, Lovers or Nothing." He also can be annoyingly melodramatic, as he is on the ridiculous "Assassin" and on the tepid "War of My Life." He charms with Taylor Swift on "Half of My Heart" and bores on the repetitive, precious "Do You Know Me." "Battle" is hard to fight through, but, to Mayer's credit, he doesn't seem to care.




JOHN MAYER



"Battle Studies"