Try! John Mayer Trio Live in Concert

Was never much of a radio friendly Mayer fan. But being a huge blues fan, after while I ran across this disc. Simply a fantastic live blues album. Even the radio friendly crap songs he has take on a whole new meaning with John's natural blues swagger. I sure wont look down at his other recordings anymore. Killer recording.

John Mayer really brings the blues guitar to life on this live album. Some are clever covers and others seem too good to imagine that they're not blues staples. If you like Mayer, or electric blues, you've got to get this album. Steven Jordan is spectacular on drums and Pino Paladino unleashes a wall of bass groove for Mayer's tone-filled, and somewhat gratuitous, guitar jamming. 'Vultures' is one of my favorite tracks, now featured on Continuum as a studio version. I'm gonna listen now!

it was great. the cd worked fine. no scratches. got delivered on time. thank you!

John Mayer has really matured since his first breakout in 2003?? The music on this cd is really outstanding ... different genres (blues, jazz, rock) without putting the listner in a totally different mood.

Buy this one- you won't be sorry.

I don't normally like live CD's, but this one is good. John can really play that guitar!

This should be called "Promise Kept"! At times it evokes BBK, the ABB, SRV, Bonnie Raitt, Johnny Lang, and more. But it's all John Mayer. I downloaded this last night and then bought the CD this morning. This grabbed me from the first song, and gave me shivers. First new CD to get me excited in a long time. If you like good blues rock guitar, don't hesitate. If you like his pop songs, I can't help you. If you ever wondered why EC invited John Mayer to the Crossroads Guitar Festival, this should put that to rest. In case you could not tell, I really liked this. This one is destined to get worn out in all my players. Nice....

John Mayer is a " Very Good" guitarist..I've seen and been into so many guitarist that sometimes it's hard to be fair in a review, but I saw him last year in Virginia Beach when I was on vacation and he was "very" good. So if your just getting into him and don't want the "pop" records this would be a good start, it has a mix of both pop and some nice blues riffs with a great backup band.

Highlights for me are:

Gravity
Out of My Mind
I got a Woman

This was my first experience with John Mayer music and I love it!! The sound is unique, blues style.

this is not your pop radio version of john mayer. here he teams up with steve jordan on drums and pino palladino on bass to create a rockin' sound. it is quite evident that john listened to a lot of srv growing up and some of his solos on this disc show that. get it.

Those who hate John don't get him. That's fine. Leaves more seats available for the fans who DO get him. Blues is blues. Soul is soul. If it sounds right, it doesn't matter if it's an 80 year old white grandma. I swear I think people hate on others out of jealousy - think they can do better but didn't get the break, or don't like to see "Wonderland" guy show even more depth and soul than he had thus far. John makes what he makes, he makes no excuses. He felt he'd done just enough of the acoustic pop, and wanted to get to his bluesy side, the side he alway felt was there but wasn't ready to come out. "TRY!" was it's time to come out. Here, he proves that he does not hide behind flawless productions in the studio - he is out there with two other KILLER musicians who are helping lift him up and get to where he's going musically, and it JUST WORKS. Watch some live performances on YouTube if you still think his guitar chops are questionable. He has proven he has the talent with the guitar, his silky, husky voice matches perfectly with not only this soulful blues/rock, but with his sweet acoustic pop. He is an "all around" musician with something to say, and we should pay attention. And lest anyone think JM has a false sense of self - he knows he's the "white elephant" in the blues room, but I think he shows you he can do it, too, no matter how he got started. How many more blues/jazz/soul endorsements do you need to get off his back??? Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Clapton, Herbie Hancock, John Scofield, etc. "Who Did you Think I Was" tells it all - you though he could ONLY sing sweet panty-dropping songs, but he shows you he can do more - MUCH more, and it's believable. Bottom line - if you're a lover of music, when it's good, then you can judge this fairly as a GREAT soulful blues rock album. I just don't see how anyone can deny the talent present by these three men. Give it a try...

Typical John Mayer! Very good selections of musical jazz and blue's songs. Nice acoustic guitar. Smooth and easy to listen to without a lot of crowd noise that accompanies live albums!

I knew next to nothing about John Mayer until I caught a PBS special one night and was blown away with his guitar playing. It was reminiscent of the great rock guitarist and certainly refreshing of a relatively new talent. So I went out and read reviews of all his CD's and decided on "Now".
I was not disappointed. His guitar playing at times reminds me of Stevie Ray Vaughan. And his bass player and drummer are certainly top-notch. I highly recommend this CD for any serious music lover.

I haven't heard all of John's CD's, but I have heard Room For Squares, I have TRY!, and I also have Continuum.

Sighhhhhhh.....

Needless to say there is a HUGE discrepancy between Squares and TRY! John, why do you do that? You are aiming for a 12 year old girl fan base in addition to blues/rock/good music fans? Argghhhhh!!! Doesn't make sense to me.

This CD is a fantastic, sublime, slippery ride thru a collection of great songs and glimpse into what must have been an even better show. Although every song has a great bluesy feel and a real groove, it seems that "Something's Missing" and "Daughters" have a slight lean toward his Squares style.

John, be careful. Do the right thing. Continuum is ok with me, it is for the most part a good CD, but the direction is teetering on regressing back to the music that 12 year olds are going to ask their parents for after hearing their 16 year old sister rave about it. Don't do it! Seems you could go either way...

John, let the blues in your blood prevail. TRY!

I really don't like John Mayer's typical sound that much. Something about his studio recordings is a turn-off. But THIS recording is an excellent addition to any rock'n'roller's collection. Stevie Ray Vaughn-ish sound and excellent musicians = a very good live recording. Highly, highly recommended.

This is a great little album, fairly short and sweet, but full of good stuff. The music is simple and raw, compared to Mayer's earlier work, and Mayer's vocals are allowed to come through free of production and effects. My only gripe is the discontinuity between the more bluesy pieces and Mayer's traditionally "sappier" more produced hits. But, this album show's he's on the right track overall.

Great album as a whole. This really does show off Mayer's musicianship and creativity with the Trio. The maturity shown from Mayer's performance in this CD is refreshing and fills the listener with quite a bit of excitement and surprise. His solo in Gravity put a smile on my face, immediately pushing me to show it off to my friends.

The album isn't flawless, as there are annoying Mayer obsessors with Pre-adult screeches scattered throughout the album, but appreciating the musical aspect of the album makes it well worth the buy.

I hadn't heard anything from John Mayer in a while. I had given up on him when he came out with his first album, which was a little too "poppy" for my taste. I usually go for oldies, stevie ray vaughn and hendrix among some of my favorites (though I'm only 24). My friend gave me this album and told me I should try it and to trust him. I absolutely loved this album when I first heard it. Each song is more soulful than they were on their original albums. I actually prefer the versions of "Daughters" and "Gravity" on this album. The versions of these songs make the original versions sound like like the "plain, unsalted" version of potato chips - bland. For those who have said Mayer is a subpar guitar player, I don't think they have truly listened to the guitar parts on this album. Mayer improvises a lot more on this cd.I've seen a lot of people say, "He's no Hendrix" or "He's no Stevie Ray". He may not be, but the influence on the guitar work is definitely there. Mayer pulls out all the stops on this one and plays many songs in the style of Stevie Ray - and it works. You can hear the Hendrix influences on his guitar work all over the place. Even Mayer's voice is different than it usually is on his studio albums. He sounded more relaxed, but his voice sounded great. I only wish Mayer would deliver like this on his studio albums. He would be so great. He really put heart in this live version and you could tell he was relaxed, but that definitely didn't hurt his performance one BIT on this album.

John's good in the studio, and perhaps better on stage.
This is a very good Live Recoding!

I love live music and I love John Mayer. That is what made this album a good buy for me. If you are looking for Johns classics then this album might not be for you because it features stuff from a trio of his. It does have a great Somethings Missing and some songs that are Newer in this album from the newest album.

All and all if you are looking for some different John Mayer stuff and you already like him this would be a great addition to your collection.

This album has a blusey feel to it much like his latest album has.

John Mayer does have a lot of live albums for a guy who just put out his Jr. cd this past fall. But, hey...if you have the chops, and the raw muscial talent than people will listen, even if it's the same tracks. Mostly because he's the king of creative variation. This CD is better than I expected, and more edgy than some of his past albums.
There are old favorites here, but again- he never sings the same song twice, and has a lot of fun with his music! His music is so dam good people buy cd's with the same tracks just to hear them a different way!

This isn't the first John Mayer cd Ive bought but I think it's the best. Hearing him live is a whole new experience.

Bought this CD primarily for one song and after a month or so it's the one that I primarily listen to :) ( I got a woman)

Maybe I should have gotten it for 99c from I-tunes

Not a bad album, but not GREAT imho.

Wow! But I am also a John Mayer fan. I really enjoyed this CD -- great combination of his own modern style and classic rock/blues. I liked every song on the CD.

For those of you who, like me, first heard John Mayer as another nasally, self-indulgent pop singer, this album is a revelation: excellent blues-rock guitar throughout and passionate renditions of Mayer songs. There's a delightful cover of Hendrix's "Wait Until Tomorrow" and an equally refreshing cover of a Ray Charles song. This album made me a believer in Mayer, even though I'm a long way from his generation.

This is the first CD that I purchased by John Mayer and I plan to purchase more. This is one of the most talented misicians that I have experienced in a long time. He appeals to all age groups. I have a 29 year old daughter and she is totally into him. I'm sure anyone who purchases this CD will like it just as much as I have.

First of all, I hate most of John Mayer's albums.They are full of shlocky love songs that I detest. But I saw John on "Austin City Limits" with Buddy Guy and he blew me away, great guitar work, great voice, and he could rock - Hard. Like Stevie Ray Vaughn, but with a better voice.
So where was this guy on all these other albums? Well I found him on this album, Smokin guitar, funky as hell, the whole package. This is, bar none, the best work John Mayer has ever done. I wish he would put the pop crap aside and do more stuff like this.

Anyone who has bought Continuum needs to listen to this CD which is the real John Mayer full of real dynamics that fill the entire CD with energy and life! These are John Mayer's BEST performances to date!

This is OK. Unless of course you are a John Mayer fan. Then it's probably great. I thought that this was OK. I would purchase this cd for a John Mayer fan...If I needed to get them a Christmas gift or a Birthday present or if there was this beautiful woman that was into John Mayer and this is what it would take to get her into my crib. One must experience the Blues to play the Blues. Really good effort though.

This CD was recommended to me by a friend who liked the idea that John Mayer was making music simply, with only 3 people, yet powerfully. Without going track by track, this was definitely worth the money and if JMT comes to Chicago, we'll be there! You can feel the energy, the audience is heard from time to time but doesn't take anything away from the music. All Mayer fans should have this piece.

Well, I liked the album in it's entirety. Forget about the folks who whine that this isn't SRV, so what? It's John Mayer, Steve Jordan and Pino Palladino laying down some nice jams. Ok, the music might come off a tiny bit sterile cause it's not SRV or JIMI, but not enough to make any sort of difference.

My one gripe and it's a big one, is the sound quality of this album. I consider it sonically poor, hence the missing stars. I know live albums are difficult to master well, but it's done all the time and the Producer really fell flat on his face here. It's really a shame that this recording sounds so amatureish as the music is so good.

John Mayer is the guy who can step into the footprints of Jimmy Hendix and Eric Clapton combining those outstanding artists and gives us hope beside all that garbage of rap and American idol stuff

I love John Mayers' music. I think he is an incredible guitar player. So I was curious about the John Mayer Trio. Three must be better than one right? Wrong. I was disappointed in this CD. Thought it was a terrible recording, (and I love live music) and felt that it was noisy and all over the place. I would not recommend this CD to any JM fan.

John Mayer is is not appreciated enough for his guitar talent nor for his efforts at bringing the blues an updated sound palatable to today's generation of young music lover's. Try! is a must buy for up and coming musician's. His love and respect for the blues is breath of fresh air.

I always knew he could 'feel', but now he rocks too. Anyone who thinks he can't sing needs to take a good listen to Stevie Ray Vaughn. There are times when you think you could be listening to the great SRV himself, but this IS a John Mayer album and is filled with his spirit.

I'm new to the blues genre, which is why I have to thank John Mayer for making it accessible on a commercial scale.

Though this may annoy or anger hard-core blues fans, I personally think it's a good thing.

I've listened to John since he first released Room For Squares. I've always enjoyed his work, but always felt he was being marketed as something he wasn't: i.e. a pinup boy for teenage girls with raging hormones and questionable taste in music.

With Continuum, I finally saw the REAL John Mayer in action -- though his previous performances at awards ceremonies ( my main source of JM 'live' appearances, considering where I live ) have been consistently spectacular. Maybe that's why I knew he was capable of much more, if only the recording company would let him shine.

I probably should've bought Try! before getting Continuum, but the former sold out last year, resulting in this reversed sequence. ( Thank goodness for Amazon. :))

In hindsight, it's a huge advantage, purely because Try! is far superior to Continuum, because it's (1) "live", (2) much more diverse in terms of material, and (3) has loads of phenomenal no-holds-barred jamming.

Every piece is a masterpiece, but personally speaking, 3 definitely stand out. Vultures, my top favourite from Continuum, is unbelievable "live", with John's raw, slightly raspy vocals conveying much more poignance than the no-doubt-tweaked-and-retweaked studio version.

Out Of My Mind, on the other hand, literally blew my mind ( pun intended :))! I first heard it in the car driving to work. Immediately turned up the volume and reckon I almost broke the windscreen ( haha ). John may not be hailed as a really good singer ( his skills on the guitar usually steal the limelight ), but his delivery on Out Of My Mind easily rivals the great Ray Charles -- the resemblance is spooky, man.

Best track by far, however, is I Got A Woman. Quite a crowd pleaser, considering its origins ( and a later sampling on Kanye West's Gold Digger ), but absolutely perfect here. Great vocals, cool-beyond-cool jamming, super hot and steamy.

Am predicting a looong life cycle in my stereo -- for the next few months at least.

Truly mind-blowing. I highly recommend this to anyone who'd like to know what great musical talent sounds like.

This album shows John Mayer at his best....LIVE. Very simple simple album, but full of soul...

Let's remind the negative reviewers here that we're discussing the album "Try", and not John Mayer the person. Like many, I didn't find much to take away from his first albums. However, I was completely amazed the first time that I heard "Try". There were always hints in Mayer's playing that he was a much more soulful musician, but the pop music factory wouldn't let him stretch his wings. Now, with this album, he's showing the world that he effectively used the machine to his advantage by writing pop songs to get his foot in the door. Now that those pop songs have allowed him to quit his day job, we can sit back and enjoy watching him grow into possibly the next great guitar player of our time. How much talent gets overlooked or misunderstood because of ego? The first time I heard this album I couldn't help but smile and wait for the condemnations that were sure to follow. If this album was the first that we had ever heard from John Mayer, I think that this Amazon page would be a totally different ballgame. Keep an open mind. Don't get stuck in the past; that's what makes you old...

There are plenty of other reviews that address John Mayer the musician and his music, whether he's the next big thing or a no-talent poseur. All I can say is listen to the music and make up your own mind. I'll allow that he's no Stevie Ray Vaughn, at least in terms of the raw urgency of his playing, but then people panned SRV too (esp. his singing) before he sealed his legacy by stepping off this earthly plane. John Mayer is clearly a multi-talented singer, songwriter and player who's committed to being more than just another pop star and to pushing the limits of his abilities. I admire that - that's how you grow as a musician and a human being. My main quibble with this particular CD is the relatively poor sound quality - flat and muddy, as though it was recorded from the third row with a hand-held stereo cassette player (for that matter, I've heard better concerts that were actually recorded this way). C'mon guys, with today's technology there's no excuse for low-fi concert recordings!

I think it's wonderfully rare that John Mayer can successfully go off and do his own thing in this blues-charged live album. Not many musicians can tread off the beaten path and then come back to win a Grammy. Unfortunately, he won for "pop" star, a title I'm sure he's not too thrilled about but has to accept.

This album truly explores the blues style and virtuoso of John Mayer. And as a fan since he first appeared on the scene, I'm very happy with it. It fulfills my curiousity but leaves me asking for more.

John Mayer has shown his virtuoso talent on an accoustic guitar before, raw mastery of the instument, no pedals, no special effects. Now he pics up a Stratocaster, follows in the shadow of Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan and shows he can totally emulate that level of mastery on an electric guitar. Like other super groups before him the tightness of a band of talented musicians shines true on this album. Pino Palladino is one of the greatest bassist alive today having the level of talent to fill in for Entwistle on the recent Who tour and weaving himself effortlessly into the syncopated laid back up front dichotomy that is the genius style of Steve Jordan on drums. Well worth a listen. PLAY IT LOUD!!!!

I'll never understand why people listen to this stuff. Stevie Ray Vaughan left a full and rewarding catalog of music...BUY IT. Is it a tribute or a ripoff? It's more like a little weasel who copped a few licks and wil never come within a hundred miles of the guy he's "emulating." Amazon, you've GOTTA give us a "no stars" option. Even if you do it ONLY for the John Mayer catalog. Now get Jessica on that bus and drive off into the sunset, you two crazy kids! YECCH.

A blue blooded suburban kid from Connecticut will never be able to truly sing the blues. That's just the way it is. Mayer does well with this effort, and it truly is a good album. But he falls just a bit short, and it is due to the fact that the blues is something you are born into and it resides somewhere in your soul. It is a craft honed by years of life experience. The blues are a culture and a way of approaching life.

That being said I give it four stars. No, I think I will give it three. I'm a big John Mayer fan, and his musical genius still shines through. In fact, I applaud this "try." It shows he has range, even if he falls just a bit short of the heart and soul of blues. Actually, I think that Mayer is quite close. His introspective and sometimes haunting lyrics are in the same neighborhood of the blues. But they are just a bit too introspective. The blues are the expression of life when life hits you like a Mack truck. The blues tend to just say it straight. You don't bother with too much introspection when you just got hit by the Mack truck of human experience!

Mayer's strengths as a musician, however, are evident on this album. And if you enjoy Mayer's music as I do then you will appreciate the redo of "Something's Missing." It's good. Also a highlight for me was "I Got a Woman." That's one of my fav tunes and Mayer does it justice, as far as I'm concerned.

John Mayer is a brooding, Gen-X poet. What happens when an egocentric northeastern kid collides with the blues. Well, that's what you get on this album. I am glad I purchased it. It is interesting and a bit different than the norm. Definitely worth four stars....er, well, three stars....

Its nice to lissening,a live album, its almost off you been dare live yourself, verry, verry good stuff.

Like all of John Mayer's CD's, this one is just as amazing! I love the live atmosphere that it is recorded in... If you like John, you must add this to your collection!

But still a great step in his evolution. Blues and jazz infused on some already released songs along with a few new ones in a live setting. Worth a TRY!

Donald Fagan put out the great album called "Morph The Cat" but it wasn't about John Mayer. Perhaps that should have been the title to this album. It seems John Mayer does his best to morph into SRV, Jimi, and for some unexpainable reason Dave Matthews (a sound nobody should aspire to), as well as others. Quite obviously the kid can play the guitar very well and sing with feeling, but I'd really be curious to hear him discover who John Mayer really is, cause I can't find that out from this album. All that aside, it's an imminently listenable album with moments that shine.

This cd showed up in perfect condition and in a timely manner. Thanks so much!

Great album! It is a live recording of new songs from John Mayer. While he is usually a poppish composer, this album is a blues masterpiece, with incredible dynamic and a great sound wall coming from just a trio! It never gets boring or predictable. Gotta have it!

If you like John Mayer and/or the Blues, you should have this CD. Different from his other stuff, and very good.

SRV was a special musician, who somehow managed to transcend his more than obvious influences.
John Mayer is an avowed SRV acolyte who seems to think that apeing Stevies vocal and guitar style will give him some "cred"
There is a surplus of flashy blues licks here, but one cannot escape the feeling that SRV is as deep as Mayer has dug. Blues is more than licks and "attitude".
SRV clones are ten a penny, and even Mayers acoustic pop flummery is preferable to this woefully accurate impersonation.
Save your ten bucks and buy a Guitar Slim CD.