Jason Mraz's first set of all-new material in nearly three years, WE SING. WE DANCE. WE STEAL THINGS. sees Mraz continuing to tread his own distinctive artistic path, melding a variegated musical tapestry with passionate, personal lyricism. Among the highlights are collaborations with British tunesmith James Morrison and singer/ songwriter Colbie Caillat. "I'm Yours," the album's first single, was chosen due to the undeniable fan response to the song. A demo version of "I'm Yours" originally appeared on a limited release bonus EP Mraz put out with his last album. Today the song is an online sensation, with hundreds of usergenerated videos from more than 25 different countries now appearing on YouTube. Jason will be hitting the road this April on the "Music, Magic & Make Peace Tour".
Since 2002's jaunty Waiting for My Rocket to Come, Jason Mraz has developed into a more mature, well-rounded pop artist. We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things is his most multi-dimensional work yet, covering everything from groove-based material to ballads. While tracks such as "Make It Mine" and "Butterfly" refer back to the catchy style of previous albums, there are many other styles and textures on display here. His duet with Colbie Caillat, "Lucky," for example, explores his folkish, acoustic side, as does the compelling "Details in the Fabric," both of which are excellent songs. Mraz gets a little more experimental on "Coyotes," which toys with a clubby electronica and strangely seems to work, and on "The Dynamo of Volition" for which he employs a hectic, rapping-style of vocal over a typically contagious rhythm. His ballads, such as "Love For A Child", "If It Kills Me" and "Beautiful Mess" (these last two saved for the end) show a more sensitive side and even when his lyrics are occasionally clumsy, Mraz manages to make his point in an emotive way. Easy-going and sunny, but with laudable elements of depth and innovation, this is Mraz at his best so far.--Danny McKenna
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Excellent album all around:
Radio played the devil out of I'm Yours that's on this album. It's still a good tune. It's got a great hook and is just plain catchy. How about the rest of the album? Well it's worth staying around to listen to. His band is SMOKIN'. The horns are fabulous and the rhythm section is too. They're tight. Everything just fits together. Jason Mraz is a musician's musician. The guy can sing (beautiful voice) and he can entertain - these can be mutually exclusive, but not in his case. The writing is good.... more info
Over-rated and DULL:
Good grief, this thing was almost painful to get through. Fortunately, I borrowed it or I would've been annoyed that I wasted money on it. The best song (and the reason I borrowed it) was "I'm Yours." None of the rest of the songs even approached the bouncey and fun energy of that and I clicked from track to track in less than ten minutes. The cover art was awful. It looked as though it was drawn by a child and the titles of the songs and details (no lyrics, thankyouverymuch) in the enclosed... more info
Man, is this CD great or what?:
Wow! I was driving long distance recently, listening to one CD after another in the car stereo, and this one really stood out well above the others. In my opinion, this is one of the most enjoyable CDs released in at least the last 10 years. The music is awesome, most of the lyrics are fun, interesting, and/or thought provoking, and the whole CD just flows from one song to another. An absolutely wonderful experience!
Jason Mraz, extraordinare!! please press 2 if you're not available:
Best CD I bought this year..The year is young but this is a must have.
