John Mayer's "Sob Rock" ***1/2 (Columbia 2021)

Sure, John Mayer’s eighth studio album suffers from an atrocious title. This isn’t helped one bit by its kitsch-y, eighties-fueled album cover. This is, however, all delivered with a wink of sorts. Mayer is in a way trying to emulate singer-songwriters who managed glitzy glossy pop crossovers in the eighties. No doubt, Maren Morris’ quick guest appearance as opener and single, “Last Train Home” fades off is meant to mirror Chaka Khan’s stand-out guest turn on Steve Winwood’s classic eighties pop confection, “Higher Love.”  Does it reach those heights? Not quite. Still, it is quite enjoyable. 

The tender ballad, “Shouldn’t Matter But It Does,” hits a sweet spot, partly because it recalls Mayer at his peak, “Room For Squares”-era likability. Yes, “Your Body is a Wonderland” is still a bit embarrassing, but the guy who wrote “Why Georgia” and “No Such Thing” is still hiding in plain sight. 

 The truth is, Mayer’s worst tendencies still tend to frequently hinder otherwise appealing moments. Like when he sings about “pushing 40 in the friend-zone” on otherwise sunny and bright, “New Light,” or insists on calling a song, “Why You No Love Me?”  The latter is just awkward, whereas the former wouldn’t necessarily stand out so much if Mayer’s personal life weren’t as famous as his music.

 “Wild Blue” is a slick, hushed bit of bluesy soft rock which perhaps nods to Dire Straits in ballad mode, while “Shot in the Dark” recalls inoffensive mid-eighties “Lite” radio fare. That may sound like an insult to some, but it isn’t intended as such. In fact, this record as a whole feels like a odd warm blanket, recalling a time which seems lost. 

 In an age where the stations that used to be “Lite” now play dance music, this should theoretically sound like a lost an unwanted, outdated relic. In lesser hands, it would. Mayer has seemed somewhat adrift for his last few albums but here, he is suddenly in his element. 

 The warm subtlety of “I Guess I Just Feel Like” is bolstered by Mayer’s guitar skills, while “When the Right One Comes” also sounds like a vintage slice of mellow, neon-hued pop. 

 On “Carry Me Away,” Mayer’s eighties obsession hits its apex, with a wonderfully glowing groove that wouldn’t sound out of place in a John Hughes film. Gravity-defying, wistful synths prove to be a solid anchor here, giving the track a potent sense of instant nostalgia. 

 The tight, 39-minute set closes with the quiet builder, “All I Want Is To Be With You,” a song that sounds so immediately familiar that I had to check to make sure it wasn’t a cover. 

 “Sob Rock” comes across as strangely effortless. Mayer has been bogged down in recent years and he hasn’t sounded this at ease perhaps since “Continuum.”  On paper, this album shouldn’t work. It is not of this time and such a concept should perhaps weigh it down. This is not the case. Add to that that some of these songs were released as singles two or even three years ago and the record’s strict cohesiveness seems to fly in the face of all logic. 

Twenty years after “Room For Squares,” Mayer has found another admirable comfort zone. If only the record had a better title.