John Mayer
BATTLE STUDIES
Before he recorded his fourth album, John Mayer built a dream studio in a Los Angeles suburb to escape the paparazzi and rediscover tranquility. He embraced his fresh state of mind so thoroughly, first single "Who Says" opens with the line "Who says I can't get stoned?" (He says the lyric isn't about weed, but being "in control of the pleasure in your life"). Mayer's influences on the LP include George Harrison and, many have surmised, his breakup with Jennifer Aniston, and he has said the record is just part of his evolution: "You don't follow [Continuum]. You step to the side and begin something completely new. This is the next step in the story of who I am
The Avett Brothers
I AND LOVE AND YOU
The North Carolina finger-pickers have arrived at a major-label thanks to Rick Rubin, who fell in love with their twangy harmonies and banjo-plucked acoustic grooves. On their latest record brothers Scott and Seth, along with bassist Bob Crawford, tackle love, heartbreak and the honest stories of their lives. "Folk music is just like early hip-hop," says Scott Avett. "You're singing about where you're from, the hardships and the good times."
Ben Gibbard and
Jay Farrar
ONE FAST MOVE OR I'M GONE: KEROUAC'S BIG SUR
"I'm very aware that I'm stepping out in a style I'm not known for," says Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard, discussing his collaboration with Son Volt's Jay Farrar on a song cycle based on Jack Kerouac's 1963 novel Big Sur. The folk-country material is a long way from Death Cab, but even farther from the jazz associated with Kerouac. "I still don't know what Kerouac would think about the steel guitar," admits Farrar
Honorable Mentions: Backstreet Boys, The Swell Season, OneRepublic, Clipse
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