3 Minutes, 49 Seconds

Sometimes an artist just needs 12  more  songs to summarize their career. Case in point... Having settled into the "elder statesmen" phase of his career, John Mayer has allowed his muse to lead the way. The result thus far as been country rock John Mayer, Laurel Canyon John Mayer, r & b John Mayer, and adult contemporary John Mayer.   This list covers his career from 2012 to 2021. Check out  12 by John Mayer for the first half of the story! If you have Amazon Music Unlimited, you can listen along  here .  1. "Born and Raised" (from Born and Raised , 2012) When Mayer commits, he commits. For his Laurel Canyon album, he actually got David Crosby and Graham Nash to sing backup on the easy-going title tune. 2. "Queen of California" (from Born and Raised , 2012) A lost AM hit circa 1973. 3. "Paper Doll" (from Paradise Valley , 2013) I love dis tracks, especially when the dis-ee responds with their own dis track (great examples: Paul McCartney'...

Here's the drill: 12 songs to summarize an artist's career, in chronological order (of course). This one features... With all of his failed celebrity romances and foot-in-his-mouth interviews, John Mayer the person isn't always easy to love. But John Mayer the musician is a different story . His virtuosity never supersedes his pop songcraft, and his lyrics are searching, wise, vulnerable, and relatable. In my mind, he's the closest thing we'll get to a Gen X James Taylor. This list covers the first 8 years of his career. K eep an eye out for 12 More by John Mayer, coming soon! If you have Amazon Music Unlimited, you can listen along here .  1. "No Such Thing" (from Room for Squares , 2001) I'm on record with the opinion that Weezer are the ultimate Gen X musicians, but John Mayer is a very close second. This song captures that feeling of disillusionment and freedom that comes with going out into the "real world" and discovering it's not a...