ALBUM REVIEW: Jason Mraz-We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.
By: Scott Rader
5/15/2008
Why Jason Mraz? Why? Why is your voice so silky smooth that it permeates my heart so completely. I find that cute wordplay so adorable that I just don't want to fight it anymore. *Sigh*
Unfortunately, for Mraz fans, I'm joking. Sure Mraz has a silky, smooth voice that I find instantly inescapable. But he has few other charms.
His insistence on the clever wordplay is actually the least charming of his abilities. If anyone wondered where Diablo Cody learned her quirkiness from, I can guarantee it was from listening to far too Mraz albums.
And he does little to impress on his newest album. The first track, "Make It Mine" is a shiny, jangly retro-soul track, that actually fits him quite well. But, of course, few artists as "charming" as Mraz would stick to what fits them. The trumpets and fierce vocals stick together so well. But alas, it falls apart on the next track.
"I'm Yours" throws in his penchant for vocal theatrics. The word "hesitate" has to become "he-ez-i-ez-i-tate." It just has to. And he has to continue his faux-singer-songwriter-hip-hop lyrics too. Well, they've grown old.
So I plead with Mraz, what's wrong with having a fantastic voice? Why not use it to sing songs that fit you? Why do you insist on proving how clever you are? Or how quirky? And why did you drag Cobie Caillat into your mess?
