John Mayer describes his new album  as a "heartbreak handbook" adding "the album is called Battle Studies and that's because it incorporates a lot of the lessons, a lot of the observations, and a little bit of advice." The eagerly anticipated follow-up to his 2006 Grammy-nominated ("Best Album") Continuum is a turning point of sorts for the platinum-selling singer/songwriter and blues/rock guitarist, an experiment in creative approach and the ever-changing world of selling and marketing music. First single "Who Says" exemplifies the strategy in its lyrical content -- "who says", indeed, what he as an artist/celebrity can or can't do?

"Taking the challenge of 'how do I follow Continuum?'", he says, "well, you just say I'm not following it at all. You just leave it, and you step to the side and you begin something completely new." Mayer, known as one of the premier musical artist Twitterers in both pithy comments ("I am totally womanizing these pretzels right now") and number of "followers", has brought his own special transparency to the new project with a series of videos updating the progress on the album and giving some insights into the recording and his travels.

The album's eleven tracks promise some surprises including a straight-up Robert Johnson blues cover ("Crossroads") and a Taylor Swift duet ("Half of My Heart") but there's also much that we've come to expect from Mayer: catchy folk/pop songwriting ("Who Says") and densely layered, imaginatively structured anthems such as the newly released second single "Heartbreak Warfare" (video after the jump). Introspective and emotionally charged, Mayer's soulsearching has yielded a transitional album that makes us glad we're along for the ride. Here's hoping that his million+ Twitter followers react as enthusiastically to his music as they do to his "tweets." It's a brave new world this odd "business" has evolved into...but it's people like Mayer that keep things interesting.

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John Mayer - "Heartbreak Warfare" (from the album Battle Studies)

John Mayer - "Who Says" (from the album Battle Studies)

John Mayer - "Battle Studies" video Vol. 2