John Mayer

John Mayer proved he was more than just a Dave Matthews clone on his debut Insides Want Out and showed his attention to detail and the intricacies of romance on Room for Squares. But he really excels in the live setting, and that's where his myth began to gather steam -- both as a bedroom-eyed Lothario and as a guitar demi-god. Recorded in Birmingham, Ala., on the Room for Squares tour, Mayer charmed and romanced the audience with his breathy tenor and self-effacement while he bent notes, covered Stevie Ray Vaughn and proved why he is the new master of the pop idiom.