// Parallels //

johncmayer: What's the next record going to be like? Super melodic California rock v.2.009. I'll always love blues but I wanted to up the pop game.

Some people are pissed that it won't be bluesy like Continuum, but I'm really okay with it ... I've come to love the album, but initially it was way too mellow for me in the wake of Heavier Things. Then again, a lot of people didn't like that album because it was "overproduced." Listen - anything is "overproduced" following Room for Squares, whose tracks all boast a similar acoustic rock feel. I just think it's silly that there's all this complaining about what the album will and won't be.

First of all, we DON'T KNOW anything yet besides the raw material he's presented us with throughout the Battle Studies journey -- key word being "raw." In some sense, it doesn't even matter what we think of the new stuff because it'll hardly be the same once it's finished (... yeah, yeah you can make an argument about lyrics, but there's a good chance those will change, too!)

It should be easy to at least appreciate John's efforts to give us a behind-the-scenes look into Battle Studies' production, even if it's too early to appreciate the music (... I do, but apparently some people are already disappointed with what they hear.) People are pissed that he hasn't been posting blog updates lately ... to which I can only say, "Would you rather have an album, or video clips?" It was a cool thing to do for a while, but if it distracts from the heart of the matter, I'm okay to replay what he's already given us in exchange for a new CD in November. Seriously, listen to '3x5,' people.

There's a lot of worry surrounding this album's release, I think. Fans wonder if he's been rushed to finish it or if his intentions have been tainted by fame. I was guilty of both of the above, before I realized that it's not fair to judge. How many of us have grown up in the spotlight? As if we don't already stumble upon sufficient conflictions as we mature, he has aged with the dual-edged blade of fame in his back -- a finger on the shutter release or the "Record" button decides whether he will be praised or victimized at that moment. 'Humanized' is somewhere in between, but it's an angle that wore out it's welcome once everyone knew he was going to be big.

John's long-time fans fear they will never again see the boy who wore cargo pants to the Grammys, and knew even less then about where his music would take him than style. But being 'human' means living, learning, making mistakes, going through phases, and changing. And isn't that why we all loved him in the first place? So why should we take his indiscretions personally? Thankfully, the majority of our mishaps aren't frozen in time to be rubbed in our faces later, but he's not so lucky.

I guess a lot of this rant spawns from current events in my own life. I'm making some major changes and expecting some major critism. I'm preparing for what people will say because I know the people claiming they support me the most will be more upset by the inconvenience I'll inadvertently cause them than happy for me to be moving on. People are determined to ignore or reject change, but it's so impossible.

Embrace, accept, appreciate. Imagine what a better place the world would be.