Obsessed with carnality as he is, it was only a matter of time before Jason Mraz realized that it's better to sound sexy than to blather about it incessantly. This monumental moment arrives on his third album, We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things, easily his sleekest collection of sounds and his only album to contain a suggestion of seduction within its grooves. Actually, We Sing is Mraz's only album to actually groove, as he sets down his acoustic guitar for much of the album and rides along on smooth rhythms partially indebted to '80s blue-eyed soul by Hall & Oates and Steve Winwood -- in that sense, the album recalls John Mayer's Continuum -- but he relies more heavily on Thriller, mixing it up with some modern neo-soul that gives this a surprisingly soulful sound. Mraz can glide on these surfaces, leaning on the gentle art of insinuation instead of goosing his paramour, but old habits die hard: it's only a matter of time before he punctures the seduction by scatting sophomorically, slipping in juvenile come-ons ("You make my slacks tight"), or stuttering manic syncopations on "The Dynamo of Volition." Mraz is also prone to terminal cuteness, drafting in a kids chorus to close out the coda of "Coyotes" and mewling out phrases like "always a goody doer," and while these are often so close-miked and forthright they're hard to ignore, they're also just not as prevalent as they were on the icky Mr. A-Z. Also, they're cleverly camouflaged beneath that gossamer gloss, typified by the quite catchy "Butterfly," whose Quincy Jones-styled horns disguise his mildly queasy oral sex puns. Mraz's lyrics don't stand up to such close scrutiny -- something the McCartney-esque, perhaps autobiographical divorce ballad "Love for a Child" ("Was it my mom who put dad out on his ass/Or the other way around") makes plain -- but the nice thing about the soulful shimmer of We Sing is that it's so slick that it's easy to ignore the gibberish spilling out of Mraz's mouth and just enjoy the sunny, easy sound.
Jason Mraz sat down to give an up close and personal reflection on his most recent studio production We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. Listen to the album here.1. Make It Mine Make it mine is written to be one of those "get up off the couch and start doing something with your life" kind of songs. This is the song you play when you're dancing through a movie montage while improving your life. ...
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I just wanted to share a song that I feel everyone should bring into their lives. Since it has come into mine I have learned to rely on it as a means of calming myself down and keeping a level head when facing problems. This might have something to do with the fact that it starts off with the words, "Calm down, deep breaths, and get yourself dressed..."The name of this little gem is "Details in...
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I've never really listened to Jason Mraz in the past. Or at all for that matter. But when I found out he was coming out with a new album, I had to take the plunge and find out if he was worth listening to. He most definitely is.Jason Mraz has this odd ability to pack stadiums and be a 'true' rocker, but also play a guitar in the backyard around a fire and not be annoying about it.First off let
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Jason Mraz sat down to give an up close and personal reflection on his most recent studio production We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. Listen to the album here.1. Make It Mine Make it mine is written to be one of those "get up off the couch and start doing something with your life" kind of songs. This is the song you play when you're dancing through a movie montage while improving your life. ...
More >
We feature Jason Mraz today, because we just found out that he's coming back to San Francisco on Sun. November 2nd, 2008 at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley. Hopefully, we'll be there. For full tour dates, take the jump... JASON MRAZ FALL 2008 TOUR All dates with Lisa Hannigan supporting except * Date City/State Venue Wed. 10/8/08~~
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I've never really listened to Jason Mraz in the past. Or at all for that matter. But when I found out he was coming out with a new album, I had to take the plunge and find out if he was worth listening to. He most definitely is.Jason Mraz has this odd ability to pack stadiums and be a 'true' rocker, but also play a guitar in the backyard around a fire and not be annoying about it.First off let
More >
I just wanted to share a song that I feel everyone should bring into their lives. Since it has come into mine I have learned to rely on it as a means of calming myself down and keeping a level head when facing problems. This might have something to do with the fact that it starts off with the words, "Calm down, deep breaths, and get yourself dressed..."The name of this little gem is "Details in...
More >
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 "We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things")
