We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.

Jason Mraz | Format: MP3 Music

Product Details

• Original Release Date: March 18, 2008
• Release Date: March 18, 2008
• Label: Atlantic Records/ATG
• Copyright: 2008 Atlantic Recording Corporation for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States. All Rights Reserved.
• Record Company Required Metadata: Music file metadata contains unique purchase identifier. Learn more.
• Total Length: 50:44
• Genres:
  • Pop
• ASIN: B00192IOBA
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (290 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,219 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

117 of 124 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Happy Feelings! October 24, 2008

By Angel L. Burch

Format:Audio CD

Me (48) and my husband (69) were pulling into our driveway when the song "I'm Yours" came on the radio. We stayed in the car, listened to the song and felt happy. I had just been diagnosed with breast cancer and this song let me forget for a few minutes. We knew we had to have the whole album and have loved every song on it! I think I want "I'm Yours" playing as they wheel me into surgery. It puts me in a happy place! Thank You Jason for such a wonderful, eclectic album and introducing us to some new music (we've been stuck in a 1970's and earlier time frame)!

Best to you,
Angel

99 of 108 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Jason Mraz (n.): The Singer/Songwriter of Today's Generation May 13, 2008

By Rudy Palma

Format:Audio CD

From the first track to last Jason Mraz dazzles, perplexes and scintillates on his high-octane 3rd full-length studio album "We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things." His witty, highly individual lyrical style and organic, powerful backing band transform these songs into four minute detours into the mind of the most underrated singer/songwriter of the 2000s.

Lead single "I'm Yours" finally lands on its feet after many years in Mraz's setlists with its mellow, Hawaiian grooves, complete with visions of obligatory surfers and pineapple drinks in the background. It's just a slice of what "We Sing..." has to offer, however. "Lucky" is a sparse, melodic duet with Colbie Callait that transitions aptly out of "I'm Yours," while "Make It Mine" and "Live High" are classic Mraz with feel-good, enrapturing melodies designed to sweep listeners clean off their feet. "Make It Mine" is particularly upbeat, full of hand-claps and lush, horn-laden instrumentation. It should be a single, and if it becomes one it should give Mraz his first major hit since 2003's "The Remedy" if radio programmers have even a neuron left in their heads.

The subject matter is diverse on "We Sing..." but Mraz never suffers from mood swings. "Love For a Child," by far one of the most touching compositions of his career, touches on the effect of divorce on a young child ("When the house was left in shambles/Well, who was there to handle all the broken bits of glass?") while "Only Human" promotes environmental awareness without playing the blame game. "Details In the Fabric" featuring James Morrison is a moody, meditative look at life, love and relationships, while "Coyotes" takes Mraz's sonic pallete in new directions with layered vocals, percolating snyths and an awesome background chorus. His operatic vocals from "Mr. Curiosity" from his last LP make an appearance here.

Other tracks continue the unparalleled quality. "Butterfly" is an awesomely-produced ode to sexual chemistry ("You make my slacks a little tight/You may unfasten them if you like/That's if you crash and spend the night") with effervescent instrumentation and a mercurial, vigorous melody. "If It Kills Me" finds Mraz pining through cheeky, self-deprecating lyrics about the lady who's got everything except the insight to see he's her best match ("We get along much better than you and your boyfriend") while "A Beautiful Mess" bookends the sentiments of "Details In the Fabric" with a more optimistic outlook.

The album's arguable highlight, however, is the curiously-titled "The Dynamo of Volition." Replete from wall-to-wall with Mraz's entrancing singing/rapping style, the song is like "O. Lover" or "Forecast" from 2005's "Mr. A-Z" is that it perfectly captures Mraz's unrivaled melodic weightiness. The lyrics spew left and right in haphazard fashion, but whether or not they are all understood makes no difference. "...Volition" is an exemplary Mraz tune, with a melody powerful enough to hang over the listener, the kind of melody that paints a picture like a scene from an indie movie, that haunts in such a way that it is instantly classic and unforgettable. It says more than any words ever could.

Mraz has that rare kind of talent that puts him in the category of legendary musicians, those musicians with such blazing, inherent talent that it is simply cannot be learned or created. Elton John, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder come to mind as those types of dynamic musicians that were born with such astounding abilities, and Mraz has what it takes to join their ranks if only more listeners would wizen up and find out what some of us have been lucky to know for over five years.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Mraz Adds Value to Hit Record November 23, 2008

By Rudy Palma

Format:Audio CD

Continuing the highly criticized practice of re-releasing hit albums to increase sales, Atlantic Records gives the royal treatment this week to Jason Mraz's runaway LP "We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.," which remains high on the charts after six months, with a limited edition deluxe version.

The re-release is backed with a second disc collecting the cheekily-titled "We Sing.," "We Dance." and "We Steal Things.," three acoustic EPs he released leading up to the launch of the album containing stripped down versions of many of the tracks. The biggest asset, however, is a DVD of his performance to a sell-out crowd at Manhattan's Highline Ballroom on April 14. Many consider the rehashing of previously released material paired with new, exclusive content pure record company manipulation, and that is a valid point, but the addition of the concert alone will make this 2CD/DVD rechristening interesting for both curious casual listeners as well as the previously initiated.

And there are certainly a slew of those curiously casual with the longevity of the album's lead single "I'm Yours" serving as a barometer of public interest. The song has had an uncanny journey that began circa early 2005, when Mraz began playing the song during live set lists in spite of Atlantic's final word on not including on it on his sophomore set "Mr. A-Z." It garnered a life of its own, becoming known to scores of listeners in countries across the world on account of live recordings as well as the original demo, which found limited release on Mraz's "Extra Credit" EP.

Due to this cult popularity Mraz and Atlantic made the decision to re-record the track to be the lead single from "We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.," releasing it to radio and retail in time for Valentine's Day. Slowly but surely increasing in further popularity, it finally reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 in September, where it remains this week. That is quite a ride for one song to take.

Still, there is more meat to Mraz than "I'm Yours," and that is ably proven by the entirety of "We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things." Second single "Make It Mine," with its engulfing sing-a-long chorus, effervescent vocal performance and infectious feel good vibe is even better song than "I'm Yours," while Mraz also cuts straight to the heart of problems both at home ("Love For a Child") and abroad ("Only Human"). He also utilizes an entrancing singing/rapping style on the haunting "Dynamo of Volition." The breezy "Lucky" features Colbie Callait, while James Morrison stops in to add verses on the brooding "Details in the Fabric."

Mraz's talents only come across more strongly with the inclusion of the lo-fi acoustic disc, which brings out the essence of his songs to let them breathe, and the energetic Highline Ballroom concert proves his growing reputation as a live act to be justified. He is smart to recruit supremely talented musicians in the studio, but he outdoes his contemporaries by bringing them on the road with him as well.

Indeed, "Make It Mine" and "No Stopping Us," a slice of ear candy from his debut album, sizzle with high-octane energy courtesy of Mraz's scintillating trumpeters. Non-album track "1000 Things" invokes a lush, lullaby-like dream state, and "Fall Through Glass," a duet with Mraz's friend Bushwalla, teems with swing and intrigue. Along with Mraz's clowning stage presence and impressive vocal range, these moments creates a thoroughly unique musical experience.

To be sure, re-releases from major labels are always highly polished cash grabs, and this one is no different. However, the quality and quantity of the added material gives this one particular panache. Those who have been eyeing the album have all the more incentive now to check it out.