Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Happy Feelings!, October 24, 2008
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
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83 of 97 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
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.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A feelgood,sexy, reggae-infused pop with a summery vibe. A Grammy is the cards., December 26, 2008
With his third outing, Jason Mraz has delivered a breezy collection of pop songs that take their cues from the '70s.
Athough broadly conveying the same laidback, feelgood troubadour vibe as conteporary artists Jack Johnson, John Mayer and Ray Lamontagne, the American singer/songwriter Jason Mraz is less likely to lull you to sleep thanks to a likeably characterful voice and a playful approach to his music.
The Mechanicsville, Virginia-born singer-songwriter still offers his trademark reggae-infused lyrical tongue-twisters, but this time he's added a brass section and a couple of guest-stars into the mix.
In fact, unlike his previous two studio offerings, this record finds Mraz working to break free from that one man-and-his-acoustic guitar mould and try something a little more challenging.
Recorded in London, "We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things" demonstrates Mraz's flair for funky rhythms, as well as more tender acoustic moments.
The album - titled after a drawing by Glasgow artist David Shrigley, who also supplies the album artwork - makes agreeable summer listening with its sunny 1970s-influenced tunefulness and whimsical lyrics.
"The album is funny and has a lighthearted ring to it, and it's very sing-along and danceable" Jason says.
His goal with "We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things" was "to make it sort of raw and acoustic. Even though it's a pretty funky album, it's still pretty stripped down. I didn't want to overproduce it. I wanted to make sure it was clear and make it an album that people could sing to each other, and I think we succeeded".
The result - a work described by the singer as inspired by "moments of self realization, self empowerment and self improvement" - is an engaging, easygoing listen that never quite gets out of first gear. The songs wash over you, often like a cool breeze on a hot summer's day.
Some of the songwriting displays real honesty, while two collaborations - with James Morrison and Colbie Caillat - emerge as two of the highlights.
"I'm Yours" is as airy as a warm summer breeze, capturing Mraz's typically intricate lyrical qualities and smooth, playful scat singing, while his duet with Colbie Caillat on "Lucky" is both intimate and sweet.
You may like also the pleasantly lightweight jams with beachy guitars ("Live High") or the R&B horns ("Make It Mine").
"Meanwhile, the funky R 'n' B rhythms of "Coyote, "Butterfly", and "The Dynamo of Volition" are a cheeky nod to the likes of Justin Timberlake, with the latter's syncopated beat likely to illuminate any dance floor".-S.Liddle
I liked it, I am sure that you'll like it.
My highlights: "I'm Yours" and "Lucky"
Start the New Year 2009 with "We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things" !
The album debuted at # 3 of the Billboard Top 200 and at # 3 of The Billboard Internet Albums.
Waiting for My Rocket to Come
Mr. A-Z
In Between Dreams
Sleep Through The Static
Trouble
Continuum
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