:: Jason Mraz - We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things

Jason Mraz

Jason Mraz is a star on the rise. Over the past few years he has been nominated for a Grammy Award and opened for top artists including The Rolling Stones and Alanis Morissette. Mraz has to be one of the most talented musicians going around at the moment and his third album, ‘We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things’ clearly shows that. The first thing that hits you about the album is the number of different styles that Mraz samples on the album while still managing to perform each song in an upbeat manner. ‘Make It Mine’ is a funky brass driven rock track that you find yourself clapping along to while he then turns to reggae sounding acoustic rock with ‘I’m Yours’; a track that would provide a perfect soundtrack to a hot summer’s night. ‘Lucky’ is a beautiful tropical love song that is performed with Colbie Caillat, and it is at this moment on the album when you realise just what a musical talent Mraz really is. ‘Lucky’ goes close to being the perfect song so it is a bit of a surprise when you hear some of the cheesy lyrics contained in the very sexual ‘Butterfly’. This track seems so out of place as Mraz seems to be a storyteller, so hearing him sing ‘my slacks get tighter’ is a little unnerving.
Mraz goes gospel on ‘Live High’, experimental on ‘Details In The Fabric’ and then sounds strangely like Jamiroquai on ‘The Dynamo Of Volition’. You get used to Mraz chopping and changing genres, so much so that you don’t bat an eyelid when ‘Coyotes’ sounds like a strange mix of experimental-electronic and R&B.

His true music genius is there for all to see on ‘Love For A Child’; only he could make a song about a child reflecting on his parents’ divorce sound so sweet. Mraz then completely outdoes himself with two more beautiful love songs. ‘If It Kills Me’ and ‘A Beautiful Mess’ are two of the best songs you’ll ever hear, anywhere or by anyone. Jason Mraz’s ‘We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things’ is the must have album of this summer. What other album would be perfect to kick back to on the deck of a beach house on a warm summer’s evening?