I’m a secret square! Confessions from a lapsed Jamband-head.
Written by Dan Finkel
Hi folks! In keeping with the “Not for Kids Only” message of my initial post, here is an offering that my 2 year old loves (even though I’m certain the artist did not write this music with children in mind):
All right, it’s confession time. I don’t have many deep dark secrets, but for some reason I feel compelled to admit this one publicly – John Mayer’s Room for Squares is a guilty pleasure. There, I said it! That feels much better…even though as a committed Deadhead and fan of bands like Phish and The String Cheese Incident (at least their late 90′s stuff) I’m probably going to get kicked right out of that club for this confession. I don’t know much about John Mayer, including the names of any of his other albums, but somehow Room for Squares is pretty decent music (especially since it is way more pop music than I like to admit listening to!). The funny thing is, it has become a favorite of my 2 year-old son’s, who refers to Mayer as “Big” John.
Room for Squares, Sony 2001
Big John has a nice voice, reasonably interesting musical arrangements, good musicianship (including his own guitar playing, which is pretty darn good), and nice songs. This album is full of barely post-adolescent lyrics about high school, dating, and life in your early twenties, none of which apply to my son or to me (though every once in a while they do ignite a little spark of nostalgia). However, the music is good, clean fun, and my child loves it! The rhythms are mostly solid pop-rock in style – nothing particularly fast or slow, or particularly surprising or complex. When my son needs to just zone out in the car, this is what we use. For me, listening to this album is sort of like reading a vacation novel – not great literature, but something I can count on for fun and escape without forcing my brain to work too hard. It’s something I can return to often without getting bored. I guess I’m not the only one though. Afterall, Mayer did win a Grammy for ‘Your Body is a Wonderland‘, the 4th track on this album. That track, by the way, is the only one that could be considered overtly sexual. Be forewarned. If your kids are older or more tuned in to listening to lyrics, you may have an interesting discussion on your hands if they listen to that one…
Here’s to guilty pleasures and happy listening!
p.s. Feel free to confess your own guilty pleasure! What music do you let your child zone out to in the car?
