Despite his current relationship status (true or otherwise), John Mayer's music is no longer for the teenage girls and the gossip magazine junkies. You don't own him anymore and quite frankly you can take 'Your Body Is A Wonderland' and have lustful thoughts elsewhere.

For his third album, Mayer is now wholly for people who appreciate good music. That is not to say that he wasn't great before, but when you win a Grammy for a song like 'Daughters' and a track like 'Clarity' gets ignored then the perception of the man becomes somewhat diminished. A shame really considering those who have tracked his career have been swearing black and blue (or should that be 'Blues') that Mayer is more than a pin up idol.

Continuum is the album we fan boys can proudly display for the rest of the world to take notice and believe our ramblings. An album in the truest sense, Continuum is the work of a guy who has thrown everything on the line in the hope that the finished product is truly unforgettable. It is a risk few artists are willing to take ('career suicide' is the term most used) but when it works the results are often spectacular.

Before we get carried away with ourselves here, it is important to note that if you did the calculations, this type of album was expected. Second full length album Heavier Things was just that; Mayer digging deeper into the emotional surface to lay out his fears in love and life. Last year's live album Try! with his Blues trio of Steve Jordan and Pino Palladino turned heads but as earlier stated wasn't surprising for the trainspotters. Continuum melds Mayer's Blues fascination with the introspective outlook he was already revered for but added to that is the shaping of the songs to come off as timeless wonders.

Not one but two social commentaries lead the front of the album, showing that Mayer does think about things other than his foolish behaviour with the opposite sex. Single 'Waiting For The World To Change' gives a sly nod to Curtis Mayfield, informing that our generation just needs to bide its time then we can take over. What may sound like a slacker attitude makes more sense once 'Belief' digs its heels in. One big fuck you to the war on everything, 'Belief' outlines the dilemma with the fighting that rages across the globe: "Belief is a beautiful armor but makes for the heaviest sword." Going on to say that all is hopeless if belief is what we're fighting for may sound pessimistic but he is dead right.

Two tracks from Try! are given the studio treatment here. 'Gravity' and the brilliant 'Vultures' are reproduced faithfully, losing very little in the transition thanks to the talents of Palladino and Jordan (who co-produced the album with Mayer). In the same vein is his take on Hendrix's 'Bold As Love', highlighting that while Jimi was a Guitar God, he was also a damn fine lyricist. Sound familiar?

But Mayer being Mayer, his subject of choice is hard to ignore but it is the growing maturity in his prose that lends weight to his songs of love lost. The run of songs towards the end of the album in particular seem to outline the various stages of heart break. 'Slow Dancing In A Burning Room' is realising the inevitable is fast approaching and there is little you can do. 'Dreaming With A Broken Heart' is just that and something we have all experienced while 'In Repair' he is on the path to recovery but still has a way to go.

It takes until the final track 'I'm Gonna Finds Another You' for Mayer to show a bit of his trademark humour. Recorded with Al Green's producer Willie Mitchell, the song is a Memphis soul classic in waiting as Mayer tells it to his ex directly: "So go on baby make your little getaway. My pride will keep me company and you just gave yours all away."

Mayer has talked recently about the pursuit of recording music that is absolutely timeless. 'I'm Gonna Find Another You' sounds like it is a standard that has been covered millions of times. With any luck it one day will.