« Derek Webb is truly a Revolutionary | Home | The Vegetable Orchestra »
By JC | July 4, 2008
So this is my first post (super exciting eh) since Mr. Mckinney asked me to contribute to this wonderful website. I’m an excited wrecking ball of joy about to be swung with great force into Jason Mraz’s most recent album, “We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things
“. Ok here’s the deal, I want to like Jason Mraz, i really do. And to be honest, this album has some greats tracks, (as do all his albums) unfortnatley, 3 to 4 decent tracks on a record isn’t a passing grade. And for somone who has as much talent as he does, it is super disappointing. I mean seriously, the kid’s got a phenomenal voice, some unbelievably catchy rhymes, good looks, the whole package. Oh wait a minute, except for the fact that Rafee can put together a more equally balanced album. I think the reason this album peeved me as much as it did was the fact that it opens so strongly, and I truly felt like Jason had finally hit his stride. The first track, “Make It Mine” is great, fast, progressive and smooth. Then he follows it with “I’m Yours” which makes one assume that Jason is beginning to follow the Jack Johnson/ Jimmy Buffet smooth landback, islandy music i like so much. But after that is when things begin to go horribly wrong. Example: the song “Butterfly” is unbelievably catchy and has a big band sound, but is simply a song with no substance and the lyrics are one that should be played at a reno strip club. Then you have the track “Details in the Fabric”, which opens up with somone freaking out over an answering machine about an ordeal I can’t completely figure out, and then Jason Mraz comforting the individual through song. After all, what more would we, the listener, enjoy than a song that has absolutely no connection to us, giving us advice about a subject we barely understand. And then we have the depressing song “Love for a Child”, where we learn about how depressing growing up in the Mraz household was: when Jason started abusing drugs, neglect…. sounds like a bucket of trolli bright crawlers and chicken pot pie eh? Ok so its not a solid album, but if one does buy this album I have three tracks to recommend. 1. Make it Mine, 2. I’m Yours. 3. The Dynamo of Volition (I’m still trying to figure what on earth old Jason is talking about but its catchy and fun). Anyway the reason I’m so hard on Jason is because I really thought he had finally nailed the bullseye. I was obviously mistaken. But hey, i wont worry my life away!
JC
Jason Mraz - I’m Yours
Topic: album review, music blogging |
Tags: album review, jason mraz, mp3, music
Comments
July 4th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
I’m having a hard time digesting this review. I can’t honestly say that I agree with what’s been said here. Maybe it’s because I’m a huge Jason Mraz fan, but I think that the bullseye has been missed.
I can agree that this album is far from perfect and does fall short of what Mraz is capable of, but it is not a flop nor a disappointment by any means. This is by far Mraz’s best studio album. It is diverse and catchy. It just can’t measure up to his live abilities.
I feel a need to correct a statement. The song “Butterfly” does not feature Colbie Caillat. That occurs in “Lucky” - a song about love between friends. The sheer conversational nature of the track displays the creativity of Mraz. And as far as “Butterfly” is concerned, it is a catchy song and does not have the most appropriate lyrical content, but its this risqué content that partially defines Mraz. Just listen to a live show of his and its obvious.
Mraz has more in store for us in the future, but he is getting closer to reaching his studio potential with this album. “We sing, we dance, we steal things,” is definitely worth checking out.