Song of the Day 7/23: John Mayer, “Last Train Home”

The last thing I expected this summer was brand-new yacht rock, yet here it is. Someone played this for me and dared me to guess who it was, and all I could come up with was “Stevie Winwood or maybe Mark Knopfler but somebody else singing.” The last person I would have guessed was John Mayer.

When Mayer first came to attention in 2001 with his debut album, “Room for Squares,” he played acoustic easy-listening music typified by his Grammy-winning tune “Your Body Is a Wonderland.” I know he’s a highly regarded guitarist, but he’s best known for blurting insensitive things in interviews and pissing off famous ex-girlfriends like Taylor Swift and Jennifer Love Hewitt. I had lost track of his music, and didn’t know he had ditched the sensitive acoustic stuff for blues, then started touring with Dead and Company, filling Jerry Garcia’s role with the remnants of the iconic jam band.

Now he’s decided, for whatever reason, to re-create the sounds of what was known as adult contemporary in the ’80s, when compressed drums and synths ruled the airwaves and pastel-clad, blow-dried singers were the epitome of cool. The critical reception to “Sob Rock” has been positive but hardly ecstatic, with many reviewers noting that it makes good background music. I agree, which is why this tune goes straight to my yacht rock playlist.