Columbia .

Those who continue to dismiss John Mayer as an acoustic heartthrob are missing the bigger picture' he's still capable of penning a wrenching ballad, but his scope of vision encompasses so much more than making high school girls cry. "Continuum," Mayer's third and most accomplished effort to date, is a superb artistic statement and one that solidifies his standing as a premier pop craftsman.
 
Even if lead single "Waiting for the World to Change" weren't an exceptional piece of work (and it is), "Continuum" would still mark the seemingly effortless culmination of Mayer's solo career and his foray into harder, sexier blues-rock territory with the John Mayer Trio.
 
 "Continuum" feels simultaneously like a summit and a crossroads; Mayer's fans will follow him anywhere after this record, but whether he's yet shook the mantle of doe-eyed troubadour remains to be seen. One of the year's best. 
 
- Preston Jones