Jason Mraz is a San Diego-based singer-songwriter who first came to prominence in the early 2000s through performances at the Java Joe’s coffee house in Ocean Beach. He built a bit of a following through that, and ended up releasing his first studio album “Waiting for My Rocket To Come,” which featured his first big single “The Remedy (I Won’t Give Up).” He’s gone on to release several successful albums in the years since, with “Mr. A-Z,” “We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.,” “Love Is A Four Letter Word,” and his most recent record, “Yes!,” which was released in 2014. He’s also had a number of big singles such as “I Won’t Give Up” and “Lucky” featuring Colbie Caillat, though none of his singles have been bigger than his first Top 10 hit “I’m Yours,” a song that peaked at #6 and also, at one point, held the record for most weeks spent on the Hot 100 (it spent 76 weeks on the chart, a record that still sits at #3 behind Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive” and AWOLNATION’s “Sail” at the time of this writing).
Now, while I’m not entirely familiar with Jason Mraz’s entire library, I’ve definitely appreciated some of his scattered singles from afar. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve listened to “I’m Yours” and “Lucky,” two singles from his album “We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.” that appears to be his most loved (either that or “Love Is A Four Letter Word”). Call it me being sentimental or cheesy because this kind of music plays to me, but I loved his very sunny and bright acoustic instrumentals, and I thought he had a knack for putting together some very sweet, wholesome singles that invoke a nice, relaxed feeling. Mraz himself has described this album as being a “bright and shiny” kind of album, which seems to be his big strength, so I’m excited to see if he fully wins me over, or if he’ll just leave me enjoying those few scattered singles I mentioned earlier. Let’s take a look and see what he does!
Let’s See What The Night Can Do: Starting right off, Jason talks about how he wants to get lost with this person that he loves. Jason did say the album was gonna be filled with feel-good lyrics and love songs, and right from the jump, he’s not kidding. Still, I like this one quite a bit: I like the very sweet guitar-plucking, and I think there are some really pretty keys throughout the track. Jason’s vocals are smooth, and I think the hook is very catchy as well. There’s not a whole lot to say about a song like this, but it’s definitely a track that plays to Jason’s charm and sweetness very well.
Have It All: Keeping with the feel-good themes here, Jason talks about viewing life as something of a joyride, and viewing it for more of its positive experiences than the negatives. This one feels a little more poppy than the last (I actually kinda see it as something that plays in commercials), but I think Jason has some solid sing-rapping as well, even though I think it could’ve used a better chorus. The instrumentals are nice on this one, there are some nice keys and rather punchy percussion here, and I think the lyrics are very sweet as well. It’s not my favorite cut on the album, but I can see the appeal of something like this.
More Than Friends (feat. Meghan Trainor): The only track on this record to have a feature…and it’s Meghan Trainor…wonderful. Anyway, this song is exactly what it says on the tin: a love song about wanting to be more than friends. It starts off much lighter, but it does have a somewhat more uptempo drum beat later on to give it a somewhat more upbeat feel. I love Jason’s very gorgeous vocals here, and I think he really sells the hook as well. And admittedly, though I’m no Meghan Trainor fan, her vocals are nice enough, and she meshes well with Jason. I can see how something like this might strike others as a somewhat standard slice of acoustic pop, but I think it’s a very nice cut that has a nice bit of honesty and really understands that scary feeling of telling someone you love them.
Unlonely: Shouldn’t need to dive too deep into the lyrics here, Jason just talks about how he wants to make this lover of his “unlonely” and give them someone to love (shoutout to Jason for also mentioning that “unlonely” is not a word, but “not giving a fuck” about it). It’s a more upbeat, bright track compared to some of the others on here that kind of feels like a bit of a throwback to a number of songs I’ve heard in the early 2000s, but I think it really shines with Jason’s very pretty, smooth vocals. The production didn’t really hook me in as much because it’s poppy but just a bit too standard for me, but Jason’s vocals and charm are enough to keep this song relatively interesting, even if it’s far from the album’s best.
Better With You: Yep, Jason doesn’t seem to be leaving much to the imagination with these titles: it’s called “Better With You” because he feels better with the person he loves. Exactly what it says on the tin. This much lighter track has a rather standard chord progression, but one that I still find myself enjoying, as it meshes well with the more upbeat, catchy drums. Jason’s vocals are a bit more low-key, but they still sound very pretty, and I think the hook is one of the album’s best. It’s not a song that’s really reinventing the wheel, but it’s a very lovely song that easygoing and fun to get into.
No Plans: Once again, as the title of the song suggests, Jason talks about having no plans except for spending time with his love. It’s one of the most minimal tracks on here, both in terms of its actual sonic elements, and also in terms of its length (at 2:28, it’s the shortest cut on the album). Unfortunately, I wasn’t quite as crazy about this one as, despite being very sweet and having more nice vocals from Jason, I feel like there’s really not much to it. Just some light guitar strumming and Jason’s vocals, without much of a hook or anything that hits hard and makes the song beg for repeat listens. I’m sure there’s appeal to it elsewhere, but just not for me.
Sleeping To Dream: I really feel like I’m repeating myself when I say what these songs are about because it should be obvious, but I’ll do it anyway: Jason talks about how he’s so tired of living without his lover, to the point where he just wants to sleep to dream about them. The simplicity of the song makes it worthwhile, though: the acoustic guitar melody is very sweet, there’s some very catchy, upbeat production, and Jason delivers some very nice, somewhat hushed vocals here that are most especially effective on the hook. Again, very sweet, easygoing cut that I really dig.
Making It Up: On this cut, Jason talks about how he and a lover are “making it up,” even though he doesn’t exactly explain what “it” is. It’s confusing, but the song does have a sweet, soft-rock vibe to it that kinda reminds me a bit of something James Taylor would make. There are some cool guitar solos here, Jason’s vocals remain smooth and, while it definitely sounds like something you’ve heard before, the instrumentals are vibrant and pretty enough. I don’t think the chorus is entirely captivating, but it’s a nice song while it lasts.
Might As Well Dance: This is another song that kinda plays to the youthful awkwardness of love: Jason talks about how, while he and his lover might be “fools” and might be silly, they might as well try to have fun and dance, even if they’re not very good at it. I do think some of the lyrics on here are a little awkward (like when he says “we might as well take off our pants”), and ultimately, I don’t find much hooking me in here. The instrumentals give me some light Shania Twain vibes, but the chorus is definitely far from captivating, and I think Jason’s vocals don’t quite have the same charm to them (again, he can’t save that lyric about taking off pants). Definitely one of my least favorite tracks on the album.
Love Is Still The Answer: Admittedly, I was kinda dreading this track, only because feel-good acoustic songs don’t usually lend themselves to six-minute cuts. Sure, this one does sound nice with its subdued guitar melodies and sweet vocals from Jason, but I was curious as to whether or not it would stay interesting for the entire six minutes. And, ultimately, it does actually stay interesting enough, and the song itself is quite breezy despite its long length. Jason comes through with a nice hook, and he meshes well with all the different instruments on this one, like the violin plucks and the dreamy keys. Sure, it could’ve been chopped just a little bit, but it’s a very nice finisher to the album that definitely doesn’t feel overly long.
Overall, Jason Mraz’s latest album definitely won’t play to everyone, and I wouldn’t say it reinvents the wheel or does anything truly groundbreaking with its formula, but it’s a nice little album that plays well to Jason’s easygoing, lighthearted charm. Jason comes through with some feel-good, lovely tracks with sweet lyrics and nice guitar production and, while he doesn’t really try to do much different with his established style, the album sees Jason playing into his comfort zone and doing a good job in said comfort zone. I would’ve liked to see just a little more experimentation with different sounds, and I would’ve liked to see just a little more variation, but all in all, sometimes you just need some wholesome songs like these in your life, and I think Jason Mraz pulls them off. It’s not one of the best things I’ve heard, but there are some very nice takeaway tracks here, and the album as a whole works in spite of its familiarity.
Favorite tracks: Let’s See What The Night Can Do, More Than Friends, Better With You, Sleeping To Dream, Love Is Still The Answer
Least favorite tracks: No Plans, Might As Well Dance
Rating: Good
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