John Mayer, Royal Albert Hall, London

Royal Albert Hall, London

Most of what UK audiences need to know about John Mayer is buried away in the thank-yous on his current album, Continuum. "Eric Clapton knows I steal from him and is still cool with it," it says, and there you have it: he's a heads-down, guitar craftsman who numbers God among his fans. He's American, obviously - any young Brit who cited Clapton as a prime inspiration would be consigned to the blues fringe rather than validated with platinum discs, three Grammys and a relationship with Jessica Simpson.

The sole English exception to the rule might be Surrey boy Newton Faulkner, a dreadlocked country-blues guitarist whose debut, Hand Built By Robots, became 2007's most flukey No 1 album a couple of weeks ago. He treats his supporting role as an opportunity to rope in a few new admirers. Those who aren't persuaded by his finger-picking succumb to his wit - cracking gags throughout, he finishes with the SpongeBob SquarePants theme, which earns him a standing ovation (and, probably, a few more sales).

Mayer isn't quite such a social animal. "I don't have any stage patter, but I sure can play this guitar," he says, and does so, lengthily. He's a masterful blues player/singer who lights a fire under Ray Charles's I Don't Need No Doctor as deftly as he cools things down with the languid, self-penned I Don't Trust Myself. But he is aware that he is the ace face of blues-soul fusion, so there is enough posing and ruffling of floppy hair to keep fans happy. He also can't escape having been born into the MTV generation, which shows itself in generic rock anthems like Dreaming With a Broken Heart and Waiting on the World to Change, whose main virtue is that they're short. But Mayer is a noodling improviser at heart, and there is a great deal of that - which explains why Britain remains resistant to his charms.

Contributor

Caroline Sullivan

The GuardianTramp

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