John Mayer

Music fans have to be impressed with John Mayer's career trajectory. Offered the open door to mainstream success, Mayer chose to retreat from the comforts of acoustic pop in 2004. Instead of the familiar, he explored music in the hip-hop realm (working with Kanye West and Common) and then made a return-to-roots dip into raw electric blues with the John Mayer Trio. This new single (produced by the hands-on Mayer) is a more commercial hit than those more recent explorations, ably combining the earnest concerns of a younger generation alongside Marvin Gaye-era sweet soul styling.