Word: lightly
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
These pieces are all the more welcome, however, in light of the more uncomfortable tracks on the album. “It’s Gonna Be” sounds like a retrospective attempt at the very worst type of classic rock, including repetitive lyrics, insipid rhymes and lack of chord progression. “If all we talk about is money nothing will be funny, honey,” Jones warbles. Nothing of the singer’s nuanced vocals can be distinguished over the heavy-handed electric undercurrent...
...simple drumbeat. The powerful melody, hearkening back to the best of U2 or Coldplay, is refreshing for a jazz vocalist, but it’s hard not to wonder if Jones could do the song better in her own acoustic way. The same goes for “Light as a Feather,” which comes off as a compelling tune with a worrying background whine...
...Just come on and lie here with me / ‘Cause I’m just about to set fire / To everything I see.” No longer a lovably lost post-grad, he has become an introspective adult, and though his tone may be prove less light-hearted, it ultimately makes for more compelling songwriting...
...clear standout, sounding like the best ’70s soft rock gem never written. “Do You Know Me” and “Half Of My Heart,” a duet with country-pop it-girl Taylor Swift, surround guitar melodies with light atmospherics and layered vocals, while “Friends, Lovers Or Nothing,” “Perfectly Lonely,” and the admittedly out-of-place cover of Robert Johnson-by-way-of-Cream’s “Crossroads” indulge Mayer?...
Mayer does experiment with a few new sounds, but not enough to take him into uncharted territory. “Heartbreak Warfare” features a trippy, electronic groove under light electric guitar notes while “Assassin” incorporates tropical chimes. Fortunately, Mayer’s songwriting is already pleasing enough that he does not have to tinker with his sound in order for “Battle Studies” to be a solid release...