10 Classic Albums That Came Out Of Nowhere

Ever since John Mayer's first album, Room for Squares, the rock fanbase was ready to wash their hands of him. Clearly this was a guy meant to showcase the pillowy soft rock that worked to impress the ladies rather than the actual licks behind everything. While that sentiment is still true to an extent on Continuum, Mayer managed to actually take a huge leap with his songwriting.

Across this one record, John is much more in his element both as an instrumentalist and a lyricist, making for solos that are so well written that they could practically be sung on their own. Aside from Mayer himself, the greats that he pulls from the modern pop and jazz scene to be his backing group are beyond amazing, playing off Mayer every time he so much as moves the beat an inch.

Though he's not the most thoughtful lyricist in the world, Mayer actually has a few decent statements on the world at large on here, from the heartbroken ballads he could write in his sleep like Dreaming With a Broken Heart to the thought of growing old and the life experiences that come with it on Stop This Train. Above all else, Continuum is where Mayer stopped being a coffee shop hero and became one of the greatest guitarists of his generation.