Sob Rock
| John Mayer
Sob Rock
Sob Rock is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter John Mayer, released on July 16, 2021, by Columbia Records. The single "New Light", released in May 2018, is included on the album, as are Mayer's two singles from 2019, "I Guess I Just Feel Like" and "Carry Me Away". The lead single "Last Train Home" was released on June 4, 2021, and features guest vocals from Maren Morris. Mayer will tour the United States with Dead & Company from August through October 2021 and embark on a solo tour in support of the album in 2022. -Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Rolling Stone
Beneath the self-consciously dated packaging is a warm, classy record.
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Pitchfork
Sob Rock is the sound of a man alone in his success. Even if this is one of John Mayer’s stronger albums, the whole thing feels self-consciously minor.
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All Music
Sob Rock is a pleasant album whose thematic '80s affections add some stylistic flair to Mayer's laid-back songs.
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The Independent
The melody blows through you like a warm breeze, as it does on so many of Mayer’s songs. It’s genuinely enjoyable. Fairly forgettable. A pleasant enough middle-lane trip down what Mayer – with knowing cliché – calls “the highway of dreams”.
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ABC News
A fine effort, then, to try to resurrect the much-maligned genre of '80s soft rock. But it often feels like Mayer just fell behind.
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The Young Folks
Do we roll our eyes at the lyrics on par with a drunk text from a romantic lead in the first act of a romantic comedy? Or do we get worried that Mayer’s influences are now trapping and regressing his talent for songwriting and performing? It’s ok to feel sad sometimes, as long as you learn something from those experiences. All Mayer is doing with Sob Rock is learning how to get left on read.
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All Music
Sob Rock is a pleasant album whose thematic '80s affections add some stylistic flair to Mayer's laid-back songs.
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Junkee
But underneath the layers of reflection and sly humour is the most intense, emotionally raw record that Mayer has ever released, a yacht trip through turbulent waters that never diminishes itself to the level of a mere punchline.
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Music Matters Media
Sob Rock is tight and overall pleasant but not particularly memorable.
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It's All Dead
The main thing to take away from Sob Rock is don’t add paint to a masterpiece. Is this an already familiar John Mayer album? Almost formulaic? Yes. But let’s be honest, the man’s been releasing music since the 90s so clearly he’s doing something right. And as the album ends with “All I want is…” you realise all you want is the way this album makes you feel for forever. It’s a little bittersweet, it’s a little lonely, it’s all real.
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The Times
hard to take this corny nostalgia seriously.
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Sanity Blog
Capturing a whole lot of emotions and distinct feelings, there are moments of tenderness which are harnessed in ‘Shouldn’t Matter But It Does’, and there is also a sense of nostalgia in songs like ‘Shot in The Dark’ which are very warm and comforting. And I would say that is another great way to describe this album because John Mayer has this organic ability to drop your wall and allow yourself to feel emotional but not necessarily triggered.
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The Wall Street Journal
Mr. Mayer can’t help but make solidly written, skillfully played songs that only occasionally leave a mark.
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Esquire
Like Charles Foster Kane calling out for Rosebud, John Mayer has reached the mountaintop, and all he wants is to climb into his childhood. Or maybe he just really wanted to work with Don Was and Greg Phillinganes. Either way, fun record. 1989 sure beats the hell out of 2021.
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Sputnik Music
The fact of the matter is that John Mayer has further cemented himself as one of the best pop songwriters of the 21st century, and “Sob Rock” is a worthy addition to his canon.
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Bernard Zuel
He sounds bored with the songs and not prepared to jolt himself into a surprise, so much so that track after track just sits there waiting for its time to run out.
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Stereoboard
Given potential pitfalls, it can’t be understated how well Mayer’s executed this concept when the album could have easily been, at best, a pleasing pastiche, at worst an unintentional parody. Through relatable sentiments and a joyful, evocative sound, images and feelings are conjured that could easily be mistaken for comforting long lost memories. Nolan would be proud.
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Stack
Mayer isn’t just another cat with a strat – “any song I write has to work on acoustic” – but if you’re craving nostalgia for the unremembered Eighties, borrow it from Sob Rock.
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The Star
John Mayer sounds as good as ever.
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Spectrum Culture
Mayer manages to pack his newest album with dry lyricism while maintaining the same sonic palette, but this time with a handful of musical flourishes that offer glimpses of something unique.
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