John Mayer exploded onto our radios and CD players without warning. A shooting pop star with a hitmaker’s instincts his voice lilts and swoons and seems to draw circles in mid-air. His tunes are an effortless fusion of rock, jazz and folk, laced together by Mayer’s vocal dexterity and svelte guitar style. Grammy winner John Mayer is the laid-back, ironic poet for today’s troubled romantics.

Heavier Strings: A String Quartet Tribute to John Mayer’s ‘Heavier Things’ throws new light on Mayer’s latest and most ambitious album. Subtle and suavely melodic -- in the hands of a gifted chamber quartet, it plays like the coolest pop-rock suite. Soaring violins and violas give elegant voice to Mayer’s Georgia drawl; cello and bass form a supple, free-flowing rhythm section. Propelled by Mayer’s crafty pop hooks this charming release is light on its feet… and rockin’.