5. Heavier Things (2003)
Best Track: Daughters Worst Track: Home Life With a fantastic array of well written music and chart success we slowly started witnessing the change in his music style with Mayers second album, Heavier Things being the album that really set him up as an artist and one that would be sticking around for a long time. An album which came with what is still some of Mayers most loved songs from his many fans around the world, Heavier Things was the album where people wanted to know more about John Mayer as the album spawned three big hits. The first single released Bigger than My Body an upbeat, catchy, rock vibe with real meaningful lyrics about wishing to achieve certain accomplishments and wanting to be known for something, was a big success. While the second single to be released from Heavier Things, Clarity while still with an upbeat vibe, was more chilled back and had a slower pace giving it a more alternative feel, a feel weve now come to expect with Mayer albums, was another popular entry from the album as he sang about his judgement on how life was going and how he felt about it. Both songs were cited for the feel of the lyrics and the fast nature of the arrangement. But the song that everybody remembered and defined Heavier Things as the successful album people loved listening to was his final single Daughters. Daughters is one of Mayers most well-known and beloved songs as he sings about daughters needing love from their fathers as it will affect their futures. The song won a Grammy award for the best song of that year and he received a standing ovation when he performed at that Grammy Awards night. As it proved to be for arguments sake the most popular song of his career. Those three singles drove the Heavier Things album towards critical and commercial success and to this day it is still one of Mayers best albums. The reason however it is so low in the tally count is that besides those three big hits there werent many more classics to come from that album. The full track listing of Heavier Things is good, there was not a bad song on that album. However it was like Battle Studies in the case, that they just werent that memorable as Mayer tried to make the transition from pop rock to a more meaningful blues alternative style. Not every album will have every song a success but the other songs on Heavier Things didnt really stay in the mind longer than other Mayer works. Although Heavier Things is an incredible successful and much appreciated album, compared to the music that was to follow, meant it didnt fare so well in our countdown. Still a very impressive album and one that gave us some of his best work. It doesnt deserve to be this low on any count, but there were just better things to come.