Of course it is now passi for a new artist or band to release their debut album and then turnaround and mention the long unavailable or hard to attain 'independent' album that came out a few years ago. So it comes as a refreshing surprise to see one of them actually get re-released.

Atlanta based singer songwriter, John Mayer, who is finally receiving his due kudos via his 'debut' album, Room For Squares, has done the jolly decent thing and re-issued his 1999 independent album, Inside Wants Out.

Apart from a bit of resequencing of the tracks, the sound is exactly how it originally appeared four years ago. Containing eight tracks, half of which were re-recorded for Room For Squares, Inside Wants
Out displays Mayer's acoustic side that he mastered in the Atlanta club scene and what eventually caught the ears of Sony's top brass.

Of the Room For Squares material, 'My Stupid Mouth' lacks the punch of the new version but where it falters, 'Back to You' succeeds in its original form. Both 'No Such Thing' and 'Neon' you can either take or leave.

As for the unheard material it is a more mournful sound that obviously only works with Mayer's voice and acoustic guitar. 'Victoria' and 'Comfortable' are the standouts with the latter containing some great lines: 'she swears that she's artsy, but you could distinguish Miles from Coltrane.'

Mayer's star is rising; there's no doubting it. At only $16 a CD it is worth seeing where it all came from.