Teen Scene: Mayer's 'Heavier Things' takes a more subtle approach

Don't let the album name steer you clear from purchasing this hit disc. The title does not imply heavier sounding music like a turn to punk rock or heavy metal, but rather emphasizes his growth in maturity and simply details the "heavier" things in life.

This album takes no giant leap from the excellence of his first album with the exception of sophistication. Many of Mayer's songs on "Room for Squares" detailed sophomoric situations and high school ironies. In "Heavier Things," Mayer delves into interior life with a more subtle approach.

Mayer's smooth chords and voice that would make any girl melt, intertwine to make the selections road-trip friendly; easy for anyone to sing along to. Mayer obtains what every artist craves to provide to listeners; relativity. The lyrics dig deep into the heart and describe emotions that stand reluctant to words.

Take "Split Screen Sadness" for example, a personal favorite. A guy sits by the phone arguing in his head with his girlfriend and simply wonders where their relationship will go. In "Clarity" he contemplates how long his current relationship will stay in bloom. Mayer reaches out to listeners by finding a way to take everyday situations and revise them into beautiful, melodic, radio-blissful songs.

Track four of the disk, "New Deep" details his admittance of growing up by saying, "You know I used to be the back-porch boy" and he continues with, "I'm a new man." This song has rather a sardonic tone in which he comes to realize that the never-ending search for some things in life only leaves you frustrated.

In contrast to "Room for Squares," Mayer taps into a new age group, tackling audiences broader than women aged 18 to 25. He does this by releasing songs such as the track "Daughters" in which he describes the continuing effect that fathers hold on a young woman's life. "Fathers be good to your daughters/Daughters will love like you do/Girls become lovers who turn into mothers/So mothers be good to your daughters, too."

Another new addition to Mayer's tunes stands the change in sound. This disc models what an eclectic sounding album should sound like. Mayer has set his acoustic guitar to rest for a bit and picked up on an electric guitar. These edgy skills can be heard in songs such as "Homelife" and "Only Heart."

Also, in the first track, "Clarity," Mayer soothes listeners with some sweet jazz as part of a tremendous horn section provided by the band The Roots. Undeniably, Mayer pulls this one off superbly.

"Heavier Things" proves that Mayer probably listened to music before any teenager these days even knew what MTV was. It screams out his fame, yet still details problems like the rest of us hold. At the same time he understands that that is the way of life instead of complaining about them like the majority of rock stars. It proves he can write about more than views that only extend past the hell gates of high school. This album is a must buy for any music fan who holds interest for anything unique and intriguing.

Mayer is not a boy, he is all man in this album.

Katie Moon is a senior at Lely High School and an intern at the Daily News.