On November 17, John Mayer will be releasing “Battle Studies,” his fourth full length studio album. The set follows “Continuum,” his critically acclaimed release from 2006.

“Battle Studies” was co-produced by Steve Jordan and Mayer. He described the album as liberated, relaxed and confession, incorporating the melodies, simplicity and warmth of California rock and pop from the ’70s and ’80s.

Mayer says he approaches his music in a way that is similar to how a director does a period piece. “Continuum” was about soul and R&B music, whereas “Battle Studies was written with Fleetwood Mac, Neil Young and Tom Petty in mind. The message along with the melodies come straight from the gut and are concise, simple and efficient.

Continuing with his penchant for working collaboratively Mayer asked Taylor Swift to sing with him on “Half of My Heart.” Collaborations that Mayer has previously done have ranged from jazz to hip-hop to blues, including recordings and/or performances with Alicia Keys, Jay Z, Dixie Chicks, B.B. King, Eric Clapton among other performers.

Mayer is planning an early 2010 tour of North America. He will also have two gigs later this year with his trio that features Pino Pallindo and Steve Jordan. On December 29 The John Mayer Trio will be performing in San Diego at Copley Symphony Hall. Then on New Year’s Eve they will be in Las Vegas at The Joint located in Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

The shows in December will be raising money to support two veterans charities: Veterans Health Research Institute (NCIRE) and Military Outreach Ministry Camp Pendleton.

It wasn’t just talk on Twitter after all. John Mayer and Taylor Swift really did record a duet together.

According to a report from CountryMusicIsLove.com, the upcoming album of Mayer’s will include his collaboration with the teen age country singing sensation. The track’s title is “Half of My Heart.” Back in March John tweeted that he wanted to record a song along with Taylor.

Mayer wrote on Twitter, I woke up with this idea for a song that won’t get out of my head for three days in a row. That must mean that it’s enough for me to finish. The title of the song is “Half of My Heart.” It a song I want to be able to sing along with Taylor Swift. Taylor would make such a killer Nicks to contrast my Petty in the song.

Many times Taylor has tweeted how much she admires the music of the pop rocker. Swift even won a challenge that John issued to his followers on Twitter.

He said that Ernest Hemingway had claimed once he only needed six words for writing a great story. John tweeted so what is you story in six words. Rising to the occasion, Taylor responded with “my dairy is read by everyone.” The reply from John was, Taylor Swift stepped up once again. Love it.

“Battle Studies,” the new album from Mayer, will be released November 17. The re-release of Swift’s “Fearless,” her multi-platinum album that features six new songs, will be released on October 27.

Currently, John Mayer is putting finishing touches on his new album, a follow up to “Continuum,” his Grammy winning album from 2006. He will be returning to the stage along with drummer Steve Jordan and bassist Pino Palladino for two shows to end the year. The three musicians are known collectively as John Mayer Trio.

On December 29, the three musicians will perform at Copley Symphony Hall in San Diego, and then cap 2009 off with a performance on New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas at The Joint. This Saturday, September 26, tickets for the shows will be hitting the box office.

For most of 2009, Mayer has been working on “Battle Studies,” his fourth studio set. It is due out on November 17. The first single from the album will be “Who Says.”

A glimpse of behind the scenes showing “Battle Studies” being made can seen through a video series that Mayer has posted on his website.

Jordan and Mayer, who were co-producers on “Continuum,” have teamed up again to do “Battle Studies.” The new album will feature Palladino on bass and Jordan on drums.

The first public appearance for Mayer, Palladino and Jordan was in 2005 at the Grammy Awards during the Tsunami aid segment. Subsequently the three musicians tour under the name John Mayer Trio. In November 2005 they released “Try!,! a live album.