Paradise Valley, John Mayer’s latest album, is a disappointment and a failed attempt at a bluesy, country rock sound that seems almost identical to his previous album, Born and Raised.

Since Mayer broke onto the music scene in 2001 with his album Room for Squares, he has been one of the most successful musicians in the light rock genre. I, however, was highly disappointed to discover that Mayer’s sweet ballads had been replaced with a more country rock sound in his 2012 album, Born and Raised.

With the release of Paradise Valley, Mayer continues his trend toward the country genre. The album’s sound is much softer than Born and Raised, which makes it dull and lacking of a distinct sound. The songs are difficult to discern from each other, and after a while of listening to them in tandem I felt myself struggling to withhold a yawn.

Initially, I had high hopes that the album would be a significant improvement over Born and Raised, as it starts off with a few decent songs. “Wildfire,” the first track on the album is a light, summery tune with a catchy melody and a bit of electric guitar. The next song, “Dear Marie,” my favorite on the album, is a mellow, heartfelt ballad Mayer writes to a high school sweetheart. However, aside from the first two songs, most of the following tunes on the album are identical in sound.

Mayer’s collaborations with Frank Ocean and Katy Perry were not effective, as both of these artists step outside of their usual genres and their voices clash with John Mayer’s style of music. John Mayer harmonizes with Katy Perry in “Who You Love,” and although Perry’s voice is surprisingly good without the auto-tune she often incorporates in her own music, it still sounds as though her vocals belong in a pop song.

The collaboration with Frank Ocean is even worse—Mayer and Ocean harmonize in a slower-paced, 1:26 version of the earlier song, “Wildfire.” However, it doesn’t sound like John Mayer at all, as almost all of the song consists of Frank Ocean’s R&B sounding vocals, which, although they are on-key and sound smooth, completely clash with the bluesy, rock sound of the rest of the album. Mayer only comes in for background harmonies, and the song ends rather abruptly before any climax can occur.

While it can be good for light background music, for pure listening purposes I would not recommend the twangy, country blues sound of Paradise Valley, and suggest that even John Mayer’s most devoted fans skip out on this dull, disappointing album.