'When I'm in the Mood to Lose My Way With Words'

I've taken a bit of a detour in my trip through my CD collection. Maybe it's not a detour, maybe it's more of a pit stop, a short break at a rest area to let the car cool down and for me to stretch my legs. Accompanying me on this sojourn is the music of John Mayer.

I was certainly looking forward to restarting this trip but didn't realize exactly how excited I was to dive back into my John Mayer chunk until I put "Room for Squares" into my car's CD player last Monday and the first notes of "No Such Thing" started playing. The day changed, I was optimistic and excited. Bring on the day!

It was a complete coincidence that I slid in "Room for Squares" on John Mayer's 35th birthday, though totally fitting. I've been contemplating everything since celebrating my 35th birthday this summer (which I'm chronicling at What Is 35?) so it was comforting to spend the long drives to and from work, my thoughtiest times at my desk, and many times in between with someone who's likely asking the same questions I've been.

I don't know John Mayer, except through his music, but in the more than 10 years I've been listening to his music, I've heard echoes of so many of my questions, concerns, fears, contemplations, resolutions and insights. My logical side understands that there are very few truly unique human experiences, but it's really easy to feel alone in the world sometimes. Hearing a sympathetic voice on the radio is really powerful.

Here's what I've been listening to for the past week (and most likely will continue through the rest of this week):
Room for Squares
Heavier Things
Any Given Thursday
Inside Wants Out
John Mayer Trio: Try!
Continuum
Where the Light Is: John Mayer Live in Los Angeles
The Village Sessions
Battle Studies
Born & Raised

I made it through these 10 CDs in two days and should be on to Ryan Adams and Ashlee Simpson and Robbie Williams and dozens of others as I near my U2 finale, but then "In Repair" came on and I had to repeat that. And I haven't had the chance to really get to know "Born & Raised," which came out in May, so I spun that a few more times. And "Battle Studies" has definitely grown on me, which means it deserves a few more spins.

I will get back to the rest next week. In the meantime, I'm very happy to be immersing myself in John Mayer's music.

With the tabloid coverage and very public missteps, John Mayer's music gets overlooked. For anyone's who curious, here are 15 songs I believe will make you see John Mayer as a musician first and all the rest a quite distant second.

Dev's 15 Essential John Mayer Tracks
3x5
Bigger Than My Body
Born & Raised
Come Back to Bed
Edge of Desire
Free Fallin'
Gravity
In Repair
Perfectly Lonely
Shadow Days
Slow Dancing in a Burning Room
Something's Missing
Vultures
Wheel
Why Georgia